Feed conversion efficiency of cattle in pasture-based sedentary production systems in Benin

In Benin, the transhumant livestock rearing system is shifting towards more sedentary management driven by the 2019 pastoral code that regulates animal mobility to prevent conflicts among pastoralists, farmers, and other stakeholders. This implies changes in the management of animal feeding. To understand how sedentary cattle adapt to available feed resources and which breeds are more efficient, we determined the energy (EE) and protein (PE) use efficiencies of 12 sedentary herds in Benin, including taurine (TH), zebu (ZH), and crossbred herds (CH) from the Sudanian (SZ) and Guineo-Congolian (GCZ) zones. To do so, data were collected on the daily fodder intake of cattle feed on pasture, the average daily gain of calves and adults, and cow milk production (quantity and quality). Overall, zebu herds (ZH) exhibited significantly higher energy (EE: 0.09) and protein (PE: 0.12) efficiency compared to crossbred (CH) and taurine (TH) herds, which demonstrated lower values (EE: 0.05, PE: 0.07). Overall, results showed inefficient feed conversion for all herd types. Zebu cattle were likely to be more feed-efficient than taurine cattle. Nonetheless, this finding requires further validation through an evaluation of the relationships between observed feed inefficiency and carcass traits, non-carcass components, and meat quality attributes. Finally, we hypothesised that supplementing sedentary herds with crop by-products, regardless of breed, would improve the inefficiency of feed use recorded in this study.