So I'm new to sheep and have purchased two ewes. They were both 4H animals so very friendly. One of them, according to her previous owner, dislikes grass and grain and will only really eat Alfalfa. She is currently around 35 pounds under what she was supposed to be for the 4H sale (she is 87lbs and the sale weight is 125lbs). She's a little over a year old, and has been wormed twice in an attempt to get her to gain weight. Is there anything else I could feed her that she might be willing to eat? Is there a reason that she's so picky? Any help is appreciated, thank you!
What can I feed my picky sheep?
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Baymule
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Welcome to the forum! As i read your post, all I could think of was that must be one spoiled sheep! 
Mine eat everything! They love weeds, grass, leaves, blackberry leaves and will turn flips for feed of any kind.
Do you have them in a pasture or a pen? If in a pen, you might pick her some grass or since she was a show sheep, halter her up and walk her around. See if she shows any interest in weeds or grass. Maybe she just doesn't know any better.
Mine eat everything! They love weeds, grass, leaves, blackberry leaves and will turn flips for feed of any kind. Do you have them in a pasture or a pen? If in a pen, you might pick her some grass or since she was a show sheep, halter her up and walk her around. See if she shows any interest in weeds or grass. Maybe she just doesn't know any better.
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Out of curiosity, what is a good weight for a sheep her age? I believe that she is a Suffolk/Hampshire cross (if I am remembering correctly). The other ewe, who is a purebred Suffolk and the same age, weighs 129lbs. Is this a healthy weight for her? I have not picked them up yet but she will be in a pen at night and a pasture during the day with free choice hay to supplement that. I will certainly walk her around and see what she likes, thank you for the suggestion and the help!
Greetings and welcome to BYH. Please browse around and make yourself at home. We have some really great Sheeple here and most will try to help you if you ask. I'll tag a few in addition to Bay, above. @mysunwolf @Sheepshape @secuono @purplequeenvt @Roving Jacobs and there are many others.
mysunwolf
Herd Master
She is definitely small for her age! Worming is good, it might be a good idea to take a fecal sample to the vet so that you know for sure which worms or if it's cocci you may be dealing with. As for the other ewe, 129lbs might be the right weight for her, but you have to judge mostly based on body condition, that will tell you if you need to put more weight on her or take some off.
As for picky sheep, I'm with Bay, mine eat everything so I'm not too helpful. Sure, if I give them the choice between alfalfa hay and grass hay, they will eat alfalfa. New foods are always a challenge to introduce to sheep, so try introducing them multiple times, in multiple ways. You might start with a high quality sweet feed, maybe something from a local mill--the molasses in there is often a great way to get picky eaters to eat their grain. If she doesn't like that, I agree that grasses, dandelion greens, and other weeds are pretty exciting stuff for my sheep, maybe pick some and bring them to her to see if she will eat any.
As for picky sheep, I'm with Bay, mine eat everything so I'm not too helpful. Sure, if I give them the choice between alfalfa hay and grass hay, they will eat alfalfa. New foods are always a challenge to introduce to sheep, so try introducing them multiple times, in multiple ways. You might start with a high quality sweet feed, maybe something from a local mill--the molasses in there is often a great way to get picky eaters to eat their grain. If she doesn't like that, I agree that grasses, dandelion greens, and other weeds are pretty exciting stuff for my sheep, maybe pick some and bring them to her to see if she will eat any.
Sheepshape
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Sheep have an excellent sense of smell and are much more picky than cows or goats. A few sheep are really fussy, but most love grasses of all types.
The Suffolk sounds about right to me with regards to her weight....I'd have thought Miss Picky Pants should weigh about the same. If she has a genuinely poor appetite, then as mysunwolf says, a faecal sample for worm egg load is a very good idea. Taking her to fresh pasture is also a great idea as she may not be familiar with a field. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies blunt the appetite and vitamin drenches (particularly cobalt, selenium and B12) will perk the appetite up.
Sheep tend to love sweet things......try some sweet biscuits/ewe nuts.
Still, after having done the things above, I have a ram lamb that weighs about 10 lbs (at almost 5 months). Wormed, fluke, vitamin drenched, etc etc etc, and his flockmates nearer 50kg, I'm at a total loss. Little Man eats greens copiously, is active and agile, no diarrhoea, abdominal distension etc.....but emaciated and tiny. He's been in the shed for 2 weeks and is getting very spoilt, but isn't getting much fatter!
But, back to your undersized ewe lamb, sunny0317....is she very small as well as thin? Can you post a pic. of her? Feel across the spine from about the region of the middle of the lungs to the middle of her belly. If the vertebral spines....the bone spike in the middle of the vertebra and the 'spikes' on the two side arms are very easy to feel, then the ewe is too thin. A healthy sheep has a layer of muscle and fat covering the vertebrae which makes these spines difficult to feel. Look up 'Ewe body score' for diagrams of what to feel.
Whatever good luck with your new sheep.
The Suffolk sounds about right to me with regards to her weight....I'd have thought Miss Picky Pants should weigh about the same. If she has a genuinely poor appetite, then as mysunwolf says, a faecal sample for worm egg load is a very good idea. Taking her to fresh pasture is also a great idea as she may not be familiar with a field. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies blunt the appetite and vitamin drenches (particularly cobalt, selenium and B12) will perk the appetite up.
Sheep tend to love sweet things......try some sweet biscuits/ewe nuts.
Still, after having done the things above, I have a ram lamb that weighs about 10 lbs (at almost 5 months). Wormed, fluke, vitamin drenched, etc etc etc, and his flockmates nearer 50kg, I'm at a total loss. Little Man eats greens copiously, is active and agile, no diarrhoea, abdominal distension etc.....but emaciated and tiny. He's been in the shed for 2 weeks and is getting very spoilt, but isn't getting much fatter!
But, back to your undersized ewe lamb, sunny0317....is she very small as well as thin? Can you post a pic. of her? Feel across the spine from about the region of the middle of the lungs to the middle of her belly. If the vertebral spines....the bone spike in the middle of the vertebra and the 'spikes' on the two side arms are very easy to feel, then the ewe is too thin. A healthy sheep has a layer of muscle and fat covering the vertebrae which makes these spines difficult to feel. Look up 'Ewe body score' for diagrams of what to feel.
Whatever good luck with your new sheep.
The Old Ram-Australia
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G'day, for almost 18 years our flock has never had anything but the available grass of offer,I recall a couple of years a chap purchased some ewes from us and asked if he cold leave them here for a week or so,I agreed but said he would have to provide "feed for them".So he sends up some quite good Alfalfa hay which they proceeded to "kick all over the paddock" I guess they did not realize that it was there to eat...Sunny0317,maybe this is the weight she is supposed to be and the "over-feeding for the fair was more about a blue ribbon than a ewe which will produce lambs over a lifetime.Learn how to Body Score and keep her about 3.5.....Good Luck T.O.R.
