Determination of metabolizable energy and daily requirement of forage dry matter in maintenance condition for grazing sheep in siah palas rangeland (Study: Lar National Park)

Being aware of the animals` food requirement, the amount of available forage in the rangeland and forage quality is necessary as the first step in successful management of animals and rangeland. in this study, Animal unit weight equivalent, maintenance metabolizable energy and daily requirement of grazing sheep were studied. Therefore, determining the weight of various animals` classes grazing in the rangeland and their conversion factor regarding country`s animal unit is an essential issue. In this research, to determine the weight of various classes of Zandi sheep grazing in the Lar National Park rangelands of Siah Palas region in position 35 degrees and 54 minutes north latitude and 32 degrees and 52 minutes east longitude, three prevalent flocks of Zandi race  were selected randomly and from each flock, 60 heads of animals including 20 heads of ewe ageing 3 years old, 20 heads of ewe aging 4 years old, 5 heads of ram aging 3 years old, 5 heads of ram aging 4 years old and 10 heads of lamb aging 3 months were signed and selected in two phases, one at the beginning of the season and the other at the end of season. Having utilized the mean weight of ewes aging 3 and 4 years, the weight of the sheep glazing in the studied region was estimated to be equal to 1.59±49.96 kg. Various kinds of forage being glazed by the sheep were identified and collected in this rangeland at the flowering stage on 05/06/2019. The mean percentage of CP, ADF, DMD and ME in every kg of dry forage for 41 plant samples equaled to 4.77±11.18, 39.19±7.89, 56.11±7.83, 7.58±1.26 mega joule, respectively. Daily metabolizable energy for maintenance condition of animal unit equation of this rangeland  for 120 ewes, equaled to 10.54 ± 0.35 mega joule in a day and its daily need was estimated to be 1.38±0.04 kg based on the consumed dry material and considering the quality of the forage. Overall, being aware of daily food needs is necessary for the diet of animals. It should be considered in providing managerial designs.