Newbie questions!

[mrbstephens]

Hi. I'm expecting two Cotswold lambs next week who were born in the spring. Both are ewes and are from a 4H program. I have a house for them that is 6X8 and we'll be putting up their corral this weekend that will measure about 20x20. I've made them a hay feeder and I have a metal wash bin that I was thinking of using for their water for now (is that OK?). I also have a plastic bin that I thought I'd use for the supplemental grain feed (don't know how much to give them or which to buy). What else do I need??? TIA!

 

[Ruus]

Do they also have access fo a field or are you planning to dry lot them? My little midget sheep could kill that amount of grass in no time flat, and they're about a quarter of the size of my neighbor's Cotswolds.

You'll need to provide a loose mineral mix for them in addition to food and water. Just be sure to get sheep salt, not goat salt or anything else. Sheep salt isdesigned to be low enough in copper not to kill the sheep.

Congrats on your lambs! Hope you have fun! What are you planning to do with them?

 

[mrbstephens]

They will be dry lotted. So, they'll need hay, grain mix, mineral mix (or is the grain and mineral mix the same thing?) and sheep salt.

I will love them, play with them and spin their wool!

Do they also have access fo a field or are you planning to dry lot them? My little midget sheep could kill that amount of grass in no time flat, and they're about a quarter of the size of my neighbor's Cotswolds.

You'll need to provide a loose mineral mix for them in addition to food and water. Just be sure to get sheep salt, not goat salt or anything else. Sheep salt isdesigned to be low enough in copper not to kill the sheep.

Congrats on your lambs! Hope you have fun! What are you planning to do with them?

 

[mrbstephens]

Would you recommend a certain brand of feed?

 

[Ruus]

My girls don't get any grain mix, just an occasional handful of corn, so beyond knowing that it has to be specifically for sheep (again because of the copper issue) I don't know much about the various brands. I'm sure someone on the forum with the bigger sheep will be able to tell you.
Mineral mix and sheep salt are the same thing, just different terms.
You'll love spinning with Cotswold. My friend who has Cotswolds is a hand spinner, and she says their wool is very fun to spin.

 

[SheepGirl]

What you have sounds fine. Right now if they are spring born lambs, their growth is proba ly now tapering off so you could probably get by on just feeding grass hay and 1/4 - 1/2 lb of grain per head per day. As they approach a year old you can wean them off the grain and just give them hay. Also provide a loose sheep mineral for them. And fresh clean water.

 

[bonbean01]

We started out the same as you...only two and dry lotted to start with. Couldn't find loose sheep minerals anywhere around here without ordering online and paying freight...so...kept looking...went to a local Coop store that had pelleted Sheep and Lamb pellet food with high protein and all the minerals and vitamins in it...also the correct amount of seleium for our area...for salt they get a plain white block. They had free access to second cut good hay, and fresh water.

Your sheep will let you know what else they need...they are so good at showing you what you hadn't thought of Built a better feeder...built a better hay feeder so they wouldn't waste so much...extended our sheep/birthing shelters...added one small pasture...then a second pasture, now a third large pasture.

You'll want to stock your just in case medications...antibiotics and needles, vitamin supplements, worming supplies, hoof trimming tools, Blue Kote for any scratches or wounds...the learning curve gets fast once you've got them!

Enjoy them...sheep are such loveable animals...and one day when you top a dozen sheep, you'll think back to when you started and realize how much your first sheep taught you.

I really can't imagine my life without sheep and lambing time...DH and I had never had sheep before, but didn't take long to be smitten big time!!!!

I hadn't heard of this forum when we first started out...glad you did!!!! So many good people on here with so much experience!!!!

 

[Singing Shepherd]

I totally agree with that last comment in the last post! I have learned so much by reading and re-reading thread entries and answers. I finally got brave and asked a few questions...all of which are probably repetitive and so "newbie level" info. to experienced shepherds, but not once was I told 'stupid question!' or 'you don't know what you are doing' or 'could you be more dense?' or anything even similar. Everyone seems to be so patient. I remember thinking....wow, these people really get into their livestock, is this normal in the farming world now? I grew up in farm country and this is the kind of friendly advice and encouragement I saw being handed out across the fenceline or by the barn door or under a cow's udder or walking beside the hay wagon. It is so wonderful to find here that the same conversations can be had with folks running 3000 head somewhere in Australia or nursing along two small lambs in some small corner of Kansas. My DH and I have some to appreciate our small flock of sheep as a kind of healthful medicine for both spirit and body. Watching them placidly graze beneath the fruit trees is so...pleasant. May your experience,with it ups and downs together, turn out the same way!

 

[mrbstephens]

Thank you all for such lovely replies! Someone I know mentioned she feeds about 1 to 2 bales of hay and about a cup of grain feed per sheep. Does that sound right? She feeds with Blue Seal Shepherd 16. Does that include the minerals? I still need to get a salt lick for sheep?

We're hopefully finishing the corral today. My land is all wooded so grazing won't exist here, but they will get lots of attention from me and the kids. I'm also going to be running a program for children here in the spring that incorporates interacting with the animals we have.

I'm told that the house I have for them is actually big enough for 4 sheep/goats. So in the future I'll be getting two more!

I did find two large, black rubber buckets that I'll use for their water until I get a heated bucket. All of the fencing was free from a fencing company that was tossing it. It needed some replenishing, but I should do that job! Thanks again!

 

[purplequeenvt]

Thank you all for such lovely replies! Someone I know mentioned she feeds about 1 to 2 bales of hay and about a cup of grain feed per sheep. Does that sound right? She feeds with Blue Seal Shepherd 16. Does that include the minerals? I still need to get a salt lick for sheep?

We're hopefully finishing the corral today. My land is all wooded so grazing won't exist here, but they will get lots of attention from me and the kids. I'm also going to be running a program for children here in the spring that incorporates interacting with the animals we have.

I'm told that the house I have for them is actually big enough for 4 sheep/goats. So in the future I'll be getting two more!

I did find two large, black rubber buckets that I'll use for their water until I get a heated bucket. All of the fencing was free from a fencing company that was tossing it. It needed some replenishing, but I should do that job! Thanks again!

She probably meant 1 to 2 FLAKES of hay. A bale would be way too much for one sheep to eat in a day (although, I've know some sheep that tried! ). We feed 25 or so ewes with 3-5 bales a day. Even with feeding some grain (not all sheep will need it) you will still need minerals. Try to find a loose mineral formulated specifically for sheep. The salt licks can cause damage to their teeth as the try to bite pieces off instead of just licking.

Those rubber buckets are the best! Makes getting the ice out so much easier. We haven't used a heater in years. We use the black rubber buckets in smaller groups and tanks that are filled to a level that we know that they will drink quickly for the larger groups.