Climate-smart livestock nutrition in semi-arid Southern African agricultural systems.

Climate change is disrupting the semi-arid agricultural systems in Southern Africa, where livestock is crucial to food security and livelihoods. This review evaluates the bioenergetic and agroecological scope for climate-adaptive livestock nutrition in the region. An analysis of the literature on climate change implications on livestock nutrition and thermal welfare in the regional agroecological context was conducted.

Evaluation of apple () cider vinegar and garlic () extract as phytogenic substitutes for growth-promoting dietary antibiotics in sexed broiler chickens.

Tightening global regulations on the use of subclinical dietary antibiotics to enhance broiler growth are in response to increasing concern about the risk of resistance and their residues in animal products. The study evaluated the potential of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and garlic extract (GAE) as safer, phytogenic alternatives. A batch of 390 mixed-sex Ross 308-d-old broiler chicks was received into an open, deep litter house, and feather sexed in the second week into 30 experimental units of 13 birds per 2.

Dry matter and crude protein degradability of Napier grass () silage is affected by fertilization with cow-dung bio-digester slurry and fermentable carbohydrate additives at ensiling.

Dry seasons pose a major nutritional constraint on ruminant livestock production in tropical regions, which justifies forage conservation to meet the dry season feed requirement. Napier grass is a tropical forage that is used for silage in South Africa. The present objective was to determine the effects of Napier grass fertilization with bio-digester slurry (BDS) and the inclusion of fermentable carbohydrate additives at ensiling on the chemical composition and ruminal degradability of Napier grass silage.