Department
Agriculture
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-10-2012
Abstract
Mixed-species stocking can foster sound landscape management while offering economic and ecological advantages compared with mono-species stocking. Producers contemplating a mixed-species enterprise should reflect on several considerations before implementing this animal management strategy. Factors applicable to a particular producer's landscape must be considered together with goals and economic constraints before implementing mixed-species stocking. A major consideration when using mixed-species stocking is how to deal with predation losses, especially among small ruminants. An approach being adopted in some commercial operations capitalizes on using innate animal behaviors to form cohesive groups of two or more livestock species that consistently remain together under free-ranging conditions. These groups are referred to as flerds. The mixing of a flock of sheep and/or goats with a herd of cattle into a flerd has been shown to protect sheep and goats from coyote predation, as well as offering other husbandry advantages. Some of the added advantages include more efficient conversion of forage into animal protein. Creation of flerds, their maintenance and advantages are discussed. DOI 10.1017/S175173111200016X
Journal Title
Animal
Recommended Citation
Anderson, D. M.; Frederickson, Ed L.; and Estell, R. E., "Managing Livestock Using Animal Behavior: Mixed Species Stocking and Flerds" (2012). Agriculture Faculty and Staff Scholarship. 1.
https://encompass.eku.edu/ag_fsresearch/1
