Overkill on feed?

[babsbag]

One big problem with keeping goats and sheep together is the mineral. Goats NEED (have to have) copper and sheep can't have copper. That makes sharing a field full time really difficult.

Your animals look great.

 

[Southern by choice]

None look fat none look skinny so whatever you are doing is working.

I know you said you are bolusing but loose minerals for goats has the daily copper needed and sheep shouldn't have it. Unless you hand feed mineral not sure how it will work.

 

[Alexz7272]

@babsbag Yeah, that has been a major concern for me. I've been giving the goats copper bolus treats to make sure they get enough copper. It's definitely not easy.

I do plan to seperate them soon, just wont be able to before spring. Its actually quiet funny, my goats and sheep are super attached to each other. I am keeping an ear out for someone wanting alpacas. I already feed them completely seperate from everyone else as their feed is much more specific. Just realizing they are not really fitting into my farming plans right now. Love them to death but want to focus on my sheep and goats

 

[Alexz7272]

@Southern by choice The vet here has me free-choicing sheep minerals and supplementing with the copper bolus treats (homemade) for the goats. Alpacas are high up where no one but them can reach.

 

[Southern by choice]

@Southern by choice The vet here has me free-choicing sheep minerals and supplementing with the copper bolus treats (homemade) for the goats. Alpacas are high up where no one but them can reach.

What do you give for copper and how often.
Curious as how your vet has you giving it and what amounts.

Could be quite helpful for others. It is a real problem for most.

 

[Sheepshape]

Alex those animals look in LOVELY condition, whatever you are doing.....gorgeous. Maybe you are paying a little too much for their lovely condition,though.

Your pasture, not wishing to be rude, is very poor.This is what our pasture looks (and will look) like for a while yet and the fatness of the sheep about as it is this year (old pic)

Some areas have much longer and better grass. (Wales....cool,wet, misty, but green).

I don't keep sheep for profit (just as well!), I just love 'em.

I won't be feeding silage for a while as the grass is so good and they are generally over rather than under weight. When the grass stops growing, usually December, they'll get the silage and the 'breeding ewe nuts' (18% protein) calcium etc added 4-6 weeks before lambing in those who scan positive.

I had a major problem with coccidia a few years back, and lost about 6 lambs.Black (bloody) diarrhoea, awful tummy cramps, weight loss and failure to thrive....a horrible way to go. In sheep, coccidia is a problem mainly in lambs between 4 and 10 weeks. Adults become resistant. Coccidia can survive in the ground for long periods,so if you have it in your soil, be aware and take action. Over here, as well as specific medicines to treat the coccidia by drench, there's also a lick that can be bought (but needs a vet prescription) to eradicate the infection. Coccidia thrives in muddy areas created by hooves around feed trays and feeders. I haven't had a problem over the last few years as I move the feed trays every couple of days and treat and isolate anybody who gets black diarrhoea right away ( and this has amounted to only one or two of the 100 or so lambs I've had over the last couple of years.

More pics. of the lovely sheep and goats, please.

 

[babsbag]

@Sheepshape if hers is poor mine is horrid, really only dirt. That is what we get when we live in areas with little or no summer rain, winter drought, and no means to irrigate. My soil is so rocky and hilly that water put at the base of a tree will show up 100' away coming from the ground; it is crazy. I go through a lot of alfalfa...year round. Goats fair a little better as they have trees to trim but anything that relies on grass is pretty much out of luck.

 

[Latestarter]

We're (Alex and I) are on the front range just east of the rockie mountains. Most rain gets wrung out as the moisture rises up over the mountains moving east. We're considered prairie but it's more like high desert. We're green for a month or two in the spring, then brown the rest of the year without irrigation. and water is expensive.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Alex those animals look in LOVELY condition, whatever you are doing.....gorgeous. Maybe you are paying a little too much for their lovely condition,though.

Your pasture, not wishing to be rude, is very poor.This is what our pasture looks (and will look) like for a while yet and the fatness of the sheep about as it is this year (old pic)View attachment 21712

Some areas have much longer and better grass. (Wales....cool,wet, misty, but green).

I don't keep sheep for profit (just as well!), I just love 'em.

I won't be feeding silage for a while as the grass is so good and they are generally over rather than under weight. When the grass stops growing, usually December, they'll get the silage and the 'breeding ewe nuts' (18% protein) calcium etc added 4-6 weeks before lambing in those who scan positive.

I had a major problem with coccidia a few years back, and lost about 6 lambs.Black (bloody) diarrhoea, awful tummy cramps, weight loss and failure to thrive....a horrible way to go. In sheep, coccidia is a problem mainly in lambs between 4 and 10 weeks. Adults become resistant. Coccidia can survive in the ground for long periods,so if you have it in your soil, be aware and take action. Over here, as well as specific medicines to treat the coccidia by drench, there's also a lick that can be bought (but needs a vet prescription) to eradicate the infection. Coccidia thrives in muddy areas created by hooves around feed trays and feeders. I haven't had a problem over the last few years as I move the feed trays every couple of days and treat and isolate anybody who gets black diarrhoea right away ( and this has amounted to only one or two of the 100 or so lambs I've had over the last couple of years.

More pics. of the lovely sheep and goats, please.

If your pasture stays green until December your lucky....ours is dead and brown by mid-late October from heavy frost.

@Southern by choice The vet here has me free-choicing sheep minerals and supplementing with the copper bolus treats (homemade) for the goats. Alpacas are high up where no one but them can reach.

We keep our sheep and goats together. The vet has us give copper bolus two times a year to the goats and loose goat minerals in the feed/milk room in a 5 gallon bucket...out free access for anyone in the main barn portion is loose sheep minerals. Since i dont trust my vet much these days we did actually check labels and the sheep mineral is the same as the goat mineral within reason(reason being like .001ppm off or something for a few things). So basically just lacking the copper.

Orginally we just had all-stock loose minerals out, then goat loose minerals....then found out sheep and copper is bad. We actually just switched to a new sheep mineral because the livestock wasnt eating much at all of the old brand but the new one they go thru approx 3-5lbs/week, that includes what gets dumped on the floor by them. The old one was just salt and minerals in a powder form loose....the new one kind of reminds me of fertilizer...a bunch of little balls.

 

[Alexz7272]

@misfitmorgan Can I ask what brand of sheep minerals you use? My guys/girls are hit and miss about liking what I use.
Also, super happy someone else keeps their goats and sheep together! I know it can be more difficult in some ways but for me it is actually easier. Since they have bonded somewhat too, I dont know how well they would do being separated. (But will likely play around with it at one point) THANK YOU!!