Feeding in Winter

[NachoFarm]

Oh and I forgot, do you feed hay year round? I've heard some mention about when they "start" feeding hay. We've been feeding it year round even when they're on pasture.
I've also read about molasses and other random things given to ewes during pregnancy, any thoughts on those?

 

[Shelly May]

quality hay is based on type for the most part, aside from being baled dry,and the third or fourth cutting
from the same field is also better hay because less weeds, type of good hay for sheep during pregnacy
only referring to this time of year, timothy,orchard grass, alalfa and a few others. hays can be research by
protien levels. As long as they are feed free choice good hay they really don't need anything else except
mineral free choice. Make sure they have all been checked for worms. No on good pasture you don't need
to feed hay in summer, if your pasture is low on growth feed hay. But only if low on growth or mostly weeds.
the lack of rain this year for alot of people forced them to feed hay during this summer.with good hay even
at a higher price you are better off, as plain grass hay they have to eat twice as much to get the same amount
of protien or neutrition to make them gain weight. which ever way you go, grain and less quality hay, or no
grain and better quality hay this ends up about the same results, only you know whats best for your situation.
Please remember to never try to get your pregnant sheep fat in the first 4 months of carrying. As the lambs
have no room to grow in side momma and this can kill the lambs before they are born. alot of info on this subject
on internet about feeding schedule for pregnant sheep. Hope this helps!

 

[Cornish Heritage]

That being said, how do you determine the quality of hay?

Some folks get their hay tested. We are not as sophisticated as that & go by looks. We need a hay that can be fed to sheep, pigs & our milk cows. No animal likes it really stalky. The hay we have purchased today is orchard/Timothy/Alfalfa mix - nice, green and soft, don't think there will be mush waste which is just as well at $295 a ton! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! BUT better to pay that then get plain, nutrient lacking hay which is not far off that price anyway right now.

In a normal year we would not feed hay during the spring, summer & early fall but this year has not been normal. It got to looking like Arizona for a while here in the summer & at that time they had access to hay 24/7. The grass/weeds are growing back but not enough to provide everything the sheep need. (Rams are different - they are on a grassy pasture with no hay.) The ewes (45) are out on pasture during the day & then when we bring them into the Nursery pasture at night (approx 1 1/2 acres) they have access to hay. We feed large square bales (3 or 4' x 4' x 8). One bale lasts them 10-14 days.

Please remember to never try to get your pregnant sheep fat in the first 4 months of carrying. As the lambs
have no room to grow in side momma and this can kill the lambs before they are born.

Right! This is a problem with all breed stock. They need to be kept slim (not skeleton) & in good shape for healthy pregnancies. A fat animal does not breed well.

Liz

 

[NachoFarm]

Why don't the rams get hay?

 

[Cornish Heritage]

'Cos they are not pregnant & are doing fine on grass - well muscled & in great shape. We will give them hay if the grass runs out in their pasture OR if we get snow. They probably have 5 acres of grass that they are sharing with 4 calves so plenty to go around.

Liz

 

[NachoFarm]

Lol, I understand now. There is no "if" in snow up here in Ontario. I heard there's concerns though with stones in rams when they eat certain hay?

 

[SheepGirl]

Nope...some people confuse the issue saying that alfalfa causes urinary calculi in rams. It actually helps PREVENT it due to the high calcium content. You want at least 2x more calcium than phosphorus in a sheep's (particularly rams and wethers) total diet.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Thanks for coming back around to it!!
Ok, that's good to know because we currently don't feed anyone grain and we weren't sure if we could keep it up during lambing. As for expensive hay...ugh, we just paid $6.00 per square bale here and that just about stopped my heart. We also have hay cut from our own property which I think is lower in quality. That being said, how do you determine the quality of hay? Keep in mind, we're newbies.

The only way to truly determine hay quality is by getting a forage analysis. If you're buying a large amount of hay, ask the producer to get the hay analized or pay to have it done yourself. If you're going to be spending a huge chunk of change on hay, it's best to know exactly what you're getting. It is possible to guestimate hay quality by sight and smell, but looks can be deceiving. I've been to several forage meetings where they have you judge hay, then show the analysis and you'd be surprised at the number of people who assume the greenest hay is the best. That's not always the case.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

If you're buying a large amount of hay, ask the producer to get the hay analized or pay to have it done yourself. If you're going to be spending a huge chunk of change on hay, it's best to know exactly what you're getting.

There is wisdom in this. We have just never done it & right now "good" hay is bought the same day it is advertised. The market is so tight, no producer is going to wait for testing to be done when they knwo they can sell it to the next person coming along. Our main concern is that it is not moldy and/or full of stalks which nothing eats. Yesterday we opened a bale of what we purchased last week & it looks good. Sheep are enjoying it. It is WAY better than what is in our pastures!

BUT Aggie is right - if you really want to know what you are buying, get it tested.

Liz

 

[meadow1view]

If you're buying a large amount of hay, ask the producer to get the hay analized or pay to have it done yourself. If you're going to be spending a huge chunk of change on hay, it's best to know exactly what you're getting.

There is wisdom in this. We have just never done it & right now "good" hay is bought the same day it is advertised. The market is so tight, no producer is going to wait for testing to be done when they knwo they can sell it to the next person coming along. Our main concern is that it is not moldy and/or full of stalks which nothing eats. Yesterday we opened a bale of what we purchased last week & it looks good. Sheep are enjoying it. It is WAY better than what is in our pastures!

BUT Aggie is right - if you really want to know what you are buying, get it tested.

Liz

Here is where I think many miss the boat on overall animal health. If you are a pasture-based business only (no off the farm inputs except hay in the winter), it is important to know what your livestock are eating from March through November when they are on YOUR pasture. It really does us no good to analyze someone else's pasture (their hay) while we ignore what we are giving them from our own land for most of the year. Simply stated: if you feel it imperative to analyze any hay your purchase, it would stand to reason that you should analyze your own soil and vegetation to ensure that nutrient requirements are being met - especially since animals are typically lactating and regaining condition during this time.

I only buy hay locally so that there is a measure of accountability. I visit the farm and look over the hay while it is still standing or has just been mowed and getting ready to be baled. It can not be sprayed with anything (including chemical fertilizers) to pass my test. I also select for native forages since I only graze my animals on pasture that is loaded with native forages. This ensures that the vegetation contained within the hay will match my animals current microbial environment and since native forages are best suited for that area (via years of adaptation), it usually means the quality is quite sufficient to maintain good animal performance. And, yes, I have always been able to find local hay even during severe droughts including the one we had this year. I would not trust hay from afar since I have no idea whether the person on the other end of the phone is honest or merely a little capitalist looking to move some hay.