Beddind sheep on oat straw.
- Thread starter daithi
- Start date
- Location
- Cheshire
Use loads of oat straw. Sheep haven’t objected yet…
Sir loin
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Can be quite oily not as absorbent as barley IMO.
ritchiekirkland
Member
Think that’s why cattle like eating it so much when you bed them on it !
ringi
Member
Is that an issue if by using his/own winter oats straw a farmer can get it a lot cheaper and have a lot of it?
It's not good for bedding individual pens at lambing as the straw is long it turns into a knot around their legs in pen. Other than that fine.
ringi
Member
Is that an issue when a straw chopper is used?
I have all straw chopped at baling regardless.
- Location
- JanDeGrootLand
This years Oat(spring) straw is very brittle and broken, will be good for lambing pens. Don't see any difference between Oat and Barley straw.
We finished yesterday.
We finished yesterday.
- Location
- Scottish Borders
You wouldn’t be bedding individual pens with a chopper though ?
Maybe mash a bale with one into a corner and reuse !
- Location
- Ceredigion
It will be very shiny straw so won't bed as well as spring Barley, some may not agree but a shower of rain on it after cutting then leave a week before baling will help it no end , having said that it will be fine
ritchiekirkland
Member
I don’t think it’s an issue at all . If there eating it, it must be good
- Location
- Cheshire
The best oat straw we get all gets left at least a week. He runs a new style woofler through it all then bales it the next day. (Sunshine depending of course) breaks down to beautiful bedding straw. And yes everything eats it too
- Location
- West Wales
I won’t use oat straw when ewes are point of lambing or in lambing pens now as it was scratching the teats and udders rendering them sore and they were kicking lambs off at birth, those on soft barley straw were always fine so now I sell almost all my oat straw and keep a bit for handling pens and for when the ewes come in until they start bagging up. I’ve read the same was noticed with cows with a lot of prickled teats and Bactoscan hire.
A good test is to grab a handful of ends and run it down your arm and do the same with barley straw, if the straw “pricks/cuts” you then it will to a teat and udder.
A good test is to grab a handful of ends and run it down your arm and do the same with barley straw, if the straw “pricks/cuts” you then it will to a teat and udder.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Yes, I had bother with that too the one year I had a few bales.
sheep breeder
Member
Use oat with the bedding for years, always winter and round bales that are chopped by the baler. Ewes go made for the head of the straw and will forage every head, use small square spring barley straw for lambing pens. Price difference as well a factor.