Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mohammadamin Soltanipour ¹
• Saeedeh Nateghi ²
• Mohammad Fayaz ³

¹ Assistant Professor, Hormozgan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Bandarabbas, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Hormozgan Research Center for Agriculture and Natural Resource, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Bandarabbas, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Rangeland Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This research was aimed to determine the grazing behavior of Tali goat, as the dominant livestock, in the Zaminsang rangelands of Hormozgan province for four years starting from 2006. The indices examined in this study included the time of livestock entry to and exit from rangelands, the daily distance moved by the livestock, the livestock path, maximum and average livestock speed, and the time spent for livestock rest, movement and grazing. To determine the mentioned indices, the GARMIN GPS was used and closed with a special belt behind a three-year-old goat. The GPS was activated when the livestock exited the barn. Then, at the end of the day, its data were extracted in the Ilwis software.  The path of livestock movement was determined by the shepherds. According to the results, significant differences were found for the average speed of livestock in the fourth year, and the movement time and rest time in the fourth and fifth months, while no significant difference was found for other behavioral characteristics of livestock grazing.  Moreover, during the study period, 31 to 39 percent of the time the livestock moved in the rangeland was dedicated to grazing.

Keywords

• Grazing behavior
• Zaminsang rangelands
• Hormozgan province
• Tali goat
• GPS