buckarooski
Exploring the pasture
Hello there!
I recently adopted 3 East Friesian sheep that were born this past March. (2 wethers and 1 ewe) We have them on a little less than an acre in the backyard area of our property. They have an old shed for a shelter. The grass/pasture in this area is not the best. It's mostly weeds and moss. The sheep do eat some of it and seemed to eat more of it when they first arrived than they do now. I feed them grass hay all day every day that I have in a makeshift feeder made out of a trash can. They have minerals in their shed and fresh water at all times in the shade. I also feed them about 2 cups total of some 12% all stock sweet feed every day. I was doing a body condition check today and I was thinking they might be too thin. They don't look thin because of their wool coming in, but when I felt down through the wool, I could easily feel their spines. Their ribs didn't feel as prominent. I am just wondering if I should be feeding them more or differently? I don't want to have fat sheep since I know that contributes to other health issues, but I don't want them to be too thin. Any advice you can share with me would be most appreciated as I'm a first-time sheep owner. Thank you so much!
I recently adopted 3 East Friesian sheep that were born this past March. (2 wethers and 1 ewe) We have them on a little less than an acre in the backyard area of our property. They have an old shed for a shelter. The grass/pasture in this area is not the best. It's mostly weeds and moss. The sheep do eat some of it and seemed to eat more of it when they first arrived than they do now. I feed them grass hay all day every day that I have in a makeshift feeder made out of a trash can. They have minerals in their shed and fresh water at all times in the shade. I also feed them about 2 cups total of some 12% all stock sweet feed every day. I was doing a body condition check today and I was thinking they might be too thin. They don't look thin because of their wool coming in, but when I felt down through the wool, I could easily feel their spines. Their ribs didn't feel as prominent. I am just wondering if I should be feeding them more or differently? I don't want to have fat sheep since I know that contributes to other health issues, but I don't want them to be too thin. Any advice you can share with me would be most appreciated as I'm a first-time sheep owner. Thank you so much!