I ve some sheep on grass keep on a former dairy farm they ve just got rid of the cattle and have a ton of nuts left which the farmer says I can have for free ..sheep like them but will they do any harm fed in small amounts?
Cattle nuts fed to sheep
- Thread starter Further a field
- Start date
- Location
- east Ayrshire
No won't do any harm. I was feeding hi mag cattle rolls to ewes regularly through out lambing season and they done well on them.
None at all in small quantities. The additional copper could be of benefit, and since they will be grazing grass (+ soil), the availability of the copper will be reduced anyway.
Folk tend to forget that swayback in lambs is caused mainly by copper deficiency, which is exacerbated where pregnant ewes get little concentrate feed.
Folk tend to forget that swayback in lambs is caused mainly by copper deficiency, which is exacerbated where pregnant ewes get little concentrate feed.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
Would depend on breed of sheep for me. Would be happy enough with most, but something like Texel would make me more nervous as they are vulnerable to copper overdose.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Would depend even more for me on where the farm is, or rather, what levels of copper antagonists are in the soil. I have to feed copper to everything here, even pure Beltexes. Most folk locally use cattle buckets with copper in too, mostly with Texel x ewes.
@Further a field , it shouldn’t be an issue but, if you want to play it safe, as posted above, mix with some beet pulp or whole grain, if you want to dilute it a bit.
Or send it to me and I’ll make use of it for you.
- Location
- Scot Borders
Feeding last of my hoggs on 16% beef nuts here. Doing great on them
And beef nuts can be £50 to £100/t cheaper than sheep nuts.
Thanks all for the reassurance it seemed a pity not to make use of them and they don't half like them !
These are figures from Neville Suttle, Moredun Res. Instiute.
Total copper mg/kg, absorption coefficient, Absorbable copper mg/kg
Summer pasture 6.5 0.025 0.16
Autumn pasture 8.5 0.012 0.10
Silage 8.2 0.049 0.40
Hay 5.5 0.073 0.40
Roots 2.5 0.068 0.17
Kale/rape 3.9 0.132 0.51
Cereals 4.3 0.091 0.39
Compare Autumn Pasture (0.10 mg/kg absorbale copper), with Hay 0.40 mg/kg) or Kale/rape 0.51 mg/kg.
Sheep on Autumn grazing will always be copper deficient, and that will be even worse where excess molybdenum or sulphur decrease the absorption coefficient even further.
But it is still dangerous to feed excess copper for extended periods to susceptible breeds.
Total copper mg/kg, absorption coefficient, Absorbable copper mg/kg
Summer pasture 6.5 0.025 0.16
Autumn pasture 8.5 0.012 0.10
Silage 8.2 0.049 0.40
Hay 5.5 0.073 0.40
Roots 2.5 0.068 0.17
Kale/rape 3.9 0.132 0.51
Cereals 4.3 0.091 0.39
Compare Autumn Pasture (0.10 mg/kg absorbale copper), with Hay 0.40 mg/kg) or Kale/rape 0.51 mg/kg.
Sheep on Autumn grazing will always be copper deficient, and that will be even worse where excess molybdenum or sulphur decrease the absorption coefficient even further.
But it is still dangerous to feed excess copper for extended periods to susceptible breeds.