Sheep Feeding Hooray~

ShadowsFIAL

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Alright so I have a lot of questions~!

This will be a long time off of course, but I am looking into different types of feed for my goats. I plan to plant this in my pasture for them to graze. Will it be good enough?


Great Plains Sheep Forage Blend
Raising sheep in the Great Plains requires a high quality pasture able to withstand the snowy winters and hot summers. Our Great Plains sheep pasture blend contains a selection of grasses and legumes designed to provide nutrient-dense, palatable forage for your sheep, lambs and lactating ewes. We’ve also included birdsfoot trefoil and chicory to help control internal parasites in sheep and lambs.

This blend produces a pasture that will contain approximately:

  • 40% Tall Fescue (endophyte free)
  • 20% Kentucky Bluegrass
  • 10% White Clover
  • 10% Birdsfoot Trefoil
  • 5% Chicory

I am also thinking about using the dumor sheep feed. Are the bagged feed what is considered grain? Sorry I am very new to this.

DuMOR Sheep Formula is a high-quality, nutritious pellet designed to bring the best supplemental nutrition to your flock. No copper is added, but plenty of high-quality protein and digestable fiber are included to keep sheep healthy and performing up to their potential.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min.) 16.00% (This includes not more than 1.00% equivalent crude protein from non-protein nitrogen), Crude Fat (min.) 2.00%, Crude Fiber (max.) 16.00%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) .75%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.25%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) .50%, Salt (NaCl) (min.) .40%, Salt (NaCl) (max.) .90%, Selenium (Se) (min.) .30ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3,000IU/lb, Ruminant meat and bone meal free.

If I plan to show my sheep, is there a different feed I should be using, like one of the show feeds?
 

norseofcourse

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I wasn't impressed with the Dumor sheep feed. The ingredient list seemed vague (processed grain byproducts, 'roughage' products, 'forage' products), and then molasses products is the fourth ingredient. What grains? What roughage and forage? And I didn't like the '1% crude protein from non-protein nitrogen'. Google that for yourself, it's not something I want to feed.

If you have a good quality hay, loose minerals and/or kelp, they may not need grain or pellets unless they're breeding. I'd be inclined to keep looking for what's available, or mix my own from things like whole corn, alfalfa pellets, maybe a little soybean meal (my sheep didn't like the soybean meal).

I think the sheep forage blend is interesting, I didn't know anyone made something like that.
 

ShadowsFIAL

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I am mainly wanting to use the grain as a means to get them inside in the evening. Maybe only a scoop for three animals. Is there a better feed to buy? What grains are good for them? Would alfalfa pellets be enough of a treat?
 

norseofcourse

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I am mainly wanting to use the grain as a means to get them inside in the evening. Maybe only a scoop for three animals. Is there a better feed to buy? What grains are good for them? Would alfalfa pellets be enough of a treat?
If that's all you want it for, a bit of whole corn would work, and be less expensive. What size scoop? Just to get them in you won't need much, once they know they'll get it - even a cupful shared among the three would be plenty.
 

ShadowsFIAL

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I was thinking the regular feed store scoops. They are about three quarts. Otherwise perhaps maybe just one quart if I can find it. I plan to simply use it as a treat, and add more as they need it for lactation.
 

norseofcourse

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Start slow, and let your animals tell you how much they need. Well - don't ask them, they'll always want more! LOL. Feel them - google 'body condition score sheep'. You want them middle of the range, not too fat, it's not good for them and can cause problems getting pregnant and giving birth.

I have Icelandic sheep, granted they are a smaller breed than some, but they're not tiny. For my four pregnant ewes, I feed a mix of Buckeye lamb pellets, whole corn, and alfalfa pellets. For most of their pregnancy, they got about a quarter to a half cup of this each, morning and evening. For their last month of pregnancy, they got a quart of this morning and evening - and that's shared between all four, so each got about a cup morning and evening. And that's in late pregnancy, and for them it was plenty! (in addition to decent hay).

During lactation they'll eat more, maybe double this, but I'll also be milking them, so that's a lot of energy they need.

Giving grain or pellets as a treat is ok, but if they're not young and growing, or pregnant, or nursing, they won't need much at all. Even my ram does fine with only hay and pasture and minerals.
 

The Old Ram-Australia

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G'day ,Have you considered Lupins as your high protein source?If you use high quality Hay as your bulk you could hand mix oats barley and Lupins at a ratio of 3,2 1 for your protein source and use head -in oaten /Alfalfa hay as your bulk.A mineral mix of Dolomite, seaweed meal and salt( the courser the better) at a ratio of 321 should suffice until your pasture feed is sufficient,but don't stop the mineral mix over your summer.T.O.R.
 
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