Let's Look at our Different Feeding Practices *SHEEP*

[rockdoveranch]

I have hijacked this thread from the goat forums as I have found it to be very interesting. I replaced goats with sheep. Thank you for an interesting thread elevan.

It seems that if you ask 100 different farmers you'll get a 100 different answers on just about every subject and this subject is really no different.

So let's run a thread about our different feeding programs so that we can learn from each other's methods.

Welcome to all different methods of feeding: natural, homeopathic, commercial, custom, organic, etc.

Be sure to include what state / country / region that you are in.

What specifically are you feeding?
What are you adding to supplement it?
And how does your feeding program change seasonally?

Please include or edit to include the type(s) of sheep that you raise

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No one is right or wrong on this thread - they are just true to their farm. This is a learn / share thread.

Learning requires questions and answers as well. So if you need clarification on someone's post please ask a question of them so everyone else can learn too.

This thread is open to civilized debate. As long as you don't state that you believe someone's feeding practices are harmful or outright wrong debating is good.

Any statements suggesting a practice is outright wrong or implied as harmful will result in you being reported.

Thank you for participating

 

[rockdoveranch]

We are in Southeast Texas, about 50 air miles from the Gulf Coast. We are in what is called the Post Oak Savannah, and are in USDA Hardiness Zone 8b, although we are about 2 air miles from Zone 9a.

We are on 32 acres of land that, if it was ever used for anything in the past, was for running cattle, but because there has been no clearing, my guess is that it was more likely used only for hunting.

Our native grasses are Bahiagrass and Bluestem. Our pastures have never been improved. We have a sprinkling of Bermuda grass, and Nutsedge in areas that are prone to flooding. Our primary undergrowth is Beauty Berry and Yaupon Holly. We have wild blackberries and those teeny tiny wild strawberries. We rarely have wildflowers anymore because our sheep have eaten them down before going to seed. Our primary vines are wild Muscadine grapes and poison ivy. There are a few more mixed grasses, undergrowth and vines, but I do not know their names.

We have had Texas Barbado since 2004, and added 3 White Dorper June 2010.

Unless we are in draught conditions our ewe herd free range during the day and have access to Purina sheep mineral blocks. They are only given a tiny bit of Nutrena Sweet Stock and Stable when they are put up in overnight pastures of 3+ acres. A month before lambing we step up the amount of Sweet feed and give it to them twice a day, but even then, it is not that much. At times we have fed Purina Sheep and Goat, but we prefer the Nutrena sweet.

Our mature rams are kept on a pasture with a acre pond, only free range and have access to a Purina sheep mineral block.

During drought conditions we bring in hay, something I hate to do since it is not from our pastures. The hay we can get around here is Bahiagrass. During these times both our ewe and ram herd are given whole corn and pellets.

When our garden is spent, the ewe herd is allowed in there to clean it up.

Not impressive, but this is what we do.

 

[carolinagirl]

Well, I have not had sheep long...only a few months. I have 4 Katahdin ewe lambs and a ram lamb, as well as registered Barbados Blackbelly sheeo (4 ewe lambs, 2 adult bred ewes and a ram). When I had them all (except the rams) in a paddock while I finished their pasture, they were getting unlimited coastal bermuda hay and some goat feed twice a day. The blackbellys didn't look that great...kind of bony. They have been on pasture only now for maybe a month and the difference is remarkable! They are no longer "ribby" looking and they are growing better. The pasture the ewes are on is probably 3 to 4 acres, and it's divided so I can rotate them. So far, they have not managed to eat the first section down much. some of the coastal has grown pretty tall so I will probably mow that section. They are managing the weeds quite well. The pasture used to be a hay field but it has not been cultivated for hay in many years. There are a lot of mixed weeds in it. We are in a drought conditions right now so parts of the grass is beginning to brown up.

anyway...the current plan is to rotate the pastures every 6 weeks and mow what they can't eat. I give them alfalfa pellets if they aren't willing to come in from the pasture at night, just to get them to come. Otherwise, they don't get fed.

the rams are together in a dry paddock right now, eating (and thriving) on just hay. These things sure do seem to be easier to keep than goats!

 

[Beekissed]

I had a three ewes and a wether lamb, later got rid of one ewe, retained the other three. One was Katahdin/St. Croix mix ewe, one was pure Katahdin and her lamb was Kat/SC mix. I occasionally fed them a scoop of sweet feed to train them to come and so I could move them from paddock to paddock.

I tried rotational grazing and it worked fairly well....my grass is now thicker and different species are thriving I didn't see before. My apple trees have improved in production and health of crop since the sheep and chickens started grazing my orchard.

My sheep were mainly grass fed and then confined to hay in the winter. I tried to have second cut hay for the first part of winter and first cut, stemmier, and less nutritional hay for the last part and into early spring. They seemed to prefer it this way and the added roughage of the low quality hay seemed to balance out their rumen when they were exposed to spring grass.

I also supplemented with pumpkins, squash, corn stalks and other veggie remnants. They cleaned up my garden each year, including all the tomato plants, squash vines, bean vines and other veggies. There really wasn't anything they wouldn't eat. They consumed an enormous number of apples each year and I stored these and fed them during the winter as well, along with squash and pumpkins.

Mineral supplement was kelp meal and coarse salt. Parasite control was multidirectional with the use of garlic, unpastuerized ACV (more to improve digestion and immune system), raw honey, Shaklee's soap ~rarely~, pumpkin seeds and charred stove wood.

Vaccinations~none.

The first winter they were confined to a sacrifice area and fed each day, twice a day, just what they would clean up. I found there to be a lot of waste on their part and a lot of effort and time on my part. The second winter I designed a continous, self-feeding situation and found it to be ideal....no waste, no effort on my part, cleaner feeding area. I also built a temporary lounging shelter for them out of cattle panels and tarping that kept them from lounging in the shelter of the feeding area, which kept it more dry and clean.

All sheep stayed in great condition and health, no health problems except for nasal bots last August during our extreme drought. A mix of garlic, UP/ACV and raw honey, bolused, took care of the problem with just the one dose. I also cleaned out their nasal passages and applied Vicks after dosing with the garlic mix.

The wether lamb was not weaned until he was 6 mo. old, at which time we butchered him here and had him for supper.

 

[boothcreek]

Alrighty.

We live on a 163 acre farm in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. Right in the Rocky Mountains about an hour from both the US(Montana and Idaho) and Alberta border.

About 60 of those acres are pasture the rest if forest made of Pine, Fir and Larch with the occasional Birch tree trying to survive inbetween. We got wild roses everywhere and mow them down with the lawn mower out on the pasture since they try to take over.

Being in the mountains the ground is rock and clay and drains so well we are only green during the rains in may and by july its dried out. This year it has been raining several days a week since May and we never had it this green for this long(but its not as hot as it usually is either).

Anyhow, my small flock(after fall butchering generally about 8 animals) is American Black bellies, European mouflon and a dorper/katX ewe and her lamb out of my black bellies.

In the winter these guys are on hay that is 50%+ Alfalfa twice a day, with an extra couple flakes given when the temps dip below -30( more to keep them busy then anything). They also get a mix of rolled oats and barley with corn and molasses and soaked beetpulp(I feed 1 of those 4-5gallon buckets a day in the winter with 50%grain and 50%beetpulp). Sometimes I will mix in apple slices with their feed as a treat(altho only the moufs like those, everyone else turns their noses up at apples). They are also free range during the day and free choice feast on the horses hay, and the needles of the fir trees in our garden.
Once the Snow is gone(usually late march, this year late april!) and the grass starts to come in we go down to one feeding of hay a day but keep up the grain/pulp mix until the show no enthusiasm in the hayfeedings anymore. Then stop the hay and we cut down the grain until its an occasional treat or we need them to go in the barn or something.
Since they are on such high energy feed all winter for lambing I do not change anything.
They spend their summer Free ranging on all our pastures but they wont go very far from the buildings unless they are surrounded by the horses and cattle(safety in numbers?). All in all I would say they use less then 15 acres of the 60 thats pastureland.

Only supplement they get is free choice salt lick from the horses(they wont eat anything else the spoiled brats).

I do not vaccinate unless I bring a new animal in. Also don't deworm unless I see signs of parasite infestation or, again, when I bring in a new animal.

We prefer to butcher a couple weeks into hay feeding time in the fall, since the Alfalfa gives the meat a nice flavour and the just like in our beef I like the look of the carcass better when they have been on it for several weeks.

 

[Julie_A]

I loved the sheep I had but was so afraid I'd give them copper poisoning with regular feed. Any of you had an issue with that?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I loved the sheep I had but was so afraid I'd give them copper poisoning with regular feed. Any of you had an issue with that?

If you feed them something specifcally made for sheep you won't have those issues.

 

[rockdoveranch]

Aggieterkatie, What are your feeding practices?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I live in MD and have a handful of sheep, right now Southdown andr Southdown/Romney crosses. It's cold in the summer and hot and dry in the summer.

After weaning lambs the ewes get pasture or hay if there is no pasture. No grain for the ewes until 2 weeks before breeding when I flush them. I'll work up to around a pound per head per day and continue through breeding season or until I know they're bred. The ram also gets grain since he's in with the gals. I feed a 14% medicated (since they don't sell non medicated) textured grain from the local mill.

After breeding season, everyone goes back on grass hay with some pasture (what's left) until the last month of pregnancy (or a little earlier if I happen to have a thin ewe, but usually I don't). Then I'll start feeding grain and get up to at least a pound per day until lambing. After lambing I up the grain again if needed, and add in alfalfa hay with the grass hay.

Lambs start nibbling on their mom's food, and sometimes I may do a creep feeder but normally the lambs just eat right along with the ewes. I wean lambs at 8 weeks and they will get grain and alfalfa hay.

I have a small place, so I rotate pasture pretty regularly and I also graze some areas of the yard when I can. I also cut Paper Mulberry branches every day, but the amount varies. It's more of a treat than a supplement.

 

[rockdoveranch]

Thanks Aggieterkatie.

I looked up Paper Mulberry, and although the leaves look like my Mulberry trees, I do not think they are the same species. The one I used to have when I lived in Houston had wonder smooth, sweet, seedless fruit. I made pies with the fruit and our entire family and friends picked fruit from the tree and ate it. We probably consumed 1,000s of tiny bugs. I would bring my horse into town and leave her in my back yard for days and she would trim the branches us as high as she could.

I now have 4 wild Mulberry trees out here on nowhere Texas. None have produced fruit as yet so it is hard to figure out what they are. But my sheep eat the leaves and branches that they can eat.

Do you plant your trees or are they wild?

Thanks.