Hi I want to start with about 5 to 10 sheep,I've planted about 170 square meters of lucerne/alfalfa that I plan to dry for hay,I also plan on buying some tree lucerne trees for fodder,and I plan on letting the sheep graze in my yard 2 days a week, I just want to know if that is all that they need to eat,they will then only have the lucerne/alfalfa hay and tree lucerne in the winter? Thanks!
feeding of sheep
- Thread starter miggs
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Sheep need to eat everyday, not just two times a week.
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- #3
Hi Sheepgirl, I want to feed my sheep alfalfa hay everyday+ lettung them eat tree lucerne everyday, and then I want to let them graze my grass in my yard about twice a week,so they will have the hay and lucerne everyday. Or do I need to let them graze everyday? But what avout in the winter?
What kind of sheep do you have/will be getting? Where do you live?miggs said:
I am unfamiliar with lucerne--is it a grass? or a legume? ............ oops just saw you said it was a tree? I'm not sure a sheep would eat that, other than the leaves....
General rule of thumb for feeding sheep not being productive (not breeding/pregnant/nursing/growing) is 2% of their body weight in dry matter. For the average 150 lb sheep this averages out to about 3 to 3.5 lbs of hay a day per sheep. You can let them graze everyday, it won't hurt them. In fact if the grass in your yard is fenced, just keep them in there all the time and you can still feed them hay so they don't graze it down too much.
Winter they will still need hay.
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- #5
Ok I plan on getting merino sheep,lucerne or alfalfa is a legume which Is very high in protein and other nutrients, then tree lucerne is another thing, its not even of the same family as lucerne,they just call it that because it has the same nutritional values. When feeding them lucerne you need to dry it first,beacuse it will make them bloat is they eat it green, but with tree lucerne it is eaten off of the tree, with no risk of bloat,and its evergreen and drought resistant. Anyway, thanks for all the info! O and I live in south africa.
CCassity
Exploring the pasture
I have 4 dorpers that have about 2 acres if pasture that they graze in the summer months, I don't feed hay but in the winter which here is about 7 months and I went through 2 tons hay last winter. Plus I give them supplements.
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- #7
If you figure the average 150 lb ewe eats 3-3.5 lbs of hay per day, you can assume 90-105 lbs of hay per sheep per month. That doesn't include extra hay/grain a sheep WILL need when it is growing, pregnant, or nursing.
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