Trying some molasses today. So far not bothered. They do no how to peeve me off. Next batch will be out through the day and in at night's I think.Can you get some molasses? Either in one of those ball feeders or mix it through some hard feed to entice them. Maybe some ehole oats and barley just to get them eating.
I don't know what numbers you're going to be lambing but could you run them in at night and loose them out on the grass in the day time?
Also are they eating something that's locking up trace elements? So they can't utilise what you've given them?
And remember if you don't say f**king sheep at least 3 times a day you're not lambing
Ewes not doing at all.
- Thread starter CWS
- Start date
Starting to blame it more and more to be fair. Can it be too good? It's not absolute rocket fuel but is good stuff. Wonder if it's too rich and upsetting them
- Location
- North Wales
Were they getting the silage outside or was it a sudden change of diet? It'll take a couple of weeks for the rumen bacteria to acclimatise to the silage from grass.
- Location
- North Wales
Yeah straight swap so thinking the same to be fair. Acid load of the silage is on the higher side. Didn't put maize in until later on aswel so it was silage only. They came in a week/10 days later than normal aswel so even less time to adjust. Any ideas on how to help with acidosis? Cheers for all the help/knowledge guys
Find some top class hay?Yeah straight swap so thinking the same to be fair. Acid load of the silage is on the higher side. Didn't put maize in until later on aswel so it was silage only. They came in a week/10 days later than normal aswel so even less time to adjust. Any ideas on how to help with acidosis? Cheers for all the help/knowledge guys
Not saying it`ll help your job but I like salt licks - the ewes outside (on a fell!) always go to the salt licks after their daily cobs. I wonder if it helps with a cereal based concentrate ration to keep it a bit less acidic - I`m only a pleb, not a nutritionist though!
If you can get them eating chuck some sodium bicarbonate in their corn. Change the silage out for hay or barley straw. If you can get chopped/ground straw mix that through their feed. The straw will hold the feed in their rumen longer so they get chance to digest it rather than going straight through them. And the bicarb helps get everything back to a normal PH.Yeah straight swap so thinking the same to be fair. Acid load of the silage is on the higher side. Didn't put maize in until later on aswel so it was silage only. They came in a week/10 days later than normal aswel so even less time to adjust. Any ideas on how to help with acidosis? Cheers for all the help/knowledge guys
Stw88
Member
- Location
- Northumberland
Maby your vet won’t blood test because the ewes have been on hard feed. It is a bit of a waste of time then because of the minerals in the feed and doesn’t give you the true picture of what’s going on in the ewes.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
Yes, he likes to go away for the winter.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
"When in doubt, follow Nature" is my mantra when unsure what to do. What would wild sheep be eating? If no grass, roughage, e.g. hay (= dried grass).
It'll be a sharp change in diet, had a load of trouble here this year especially in older ewes coming off grass that was a bit too good and some cold nights.
Probably best off turning the worst ones back out to grass about the only thing that will get them to eat again.
Chin up you aren't the only one this year
A lot of ewes here head straight for the shore for some seaweed after their feed, and others immediately start grazing dead old roughage very enthusiastically, always seemed like they were trying to ‘buffer’ the feed.
Cab-over Pete
Member
- Location
- Kenilworth, Warwickshire
We only ever had 30 or so Hampshire’s, a hobby flock, so I am definitely no expert!!!…..
However, it sounds exactly like we had 2-3 years ago. The ewes just were not doing at all and the lambs, although ok, were not as good as past years. They were pulling the ewes down tremendously as well.
in the end, I tried making up my own coarse mix. I bought whole oats, barley and wheat. Flaked peas and flaked maize, some soya meal, and molasses. I mixed it all up in the Loadall bucket by hand with a shovel, about half a tonne altogether together with some 18% ewe nuts.
Calculations made it to be 19.5% protein if I recall correctly. I made it really quite sticky with the molasses, which was the expensive bit.
I never did feed them much hard food. They only had ewe nuts for 2 weeks before lambing and until grass appeared after lambing which, with only a few, we nearly always had grass. I gave them 1/2 kilo of the new mix and they lapped it up. It turned them around in a couple of weeks. The difference was tremendous. It was a filthy wet cold February so I kept on with it and decided to creep the lambs on a bit too. Not much, a handful per day. It was all gone in an hour.
Best thing we ever did. I did it the next year and they did well again. I agree though, grass is best and the Hampshire Downs do well on good permanent grass.
However, it sounds exactly like we had 2-3 years ago. The ewes just were not doing at all and the lambs, although ok, were not as good as past years. They were pulling the ewes down tremendously as well.
in the end, I tried making up my own coarse mix. I bought whole oats, barley and wheat. Flaked peas and flaked maize, some soya meal, and molasses. I mixed it all up in the Loadall bucket by hand with a shovel, about half a tonne altogether together with some 18% ewe nuts.
Calculations made it to be 19.5% protein if I recall correctly. I made it really quite sticky with the molasses, which was the expensive bit.
I never did feed them much hard food. They only had ewe nuts for 2 weeks before lambing and until grass appeared after lambing which, with only a few, we nearly always had grass. I gave them 1/2 kilo of the new mix and they lapped it up. It turned them around in a couple of weeks. The difference was tremendous. It was a filthy wet cold February so I kept on with it and decided to creep the lambs on a bit too. Not much, a handful per day. It was all gone in an hour.
Best thing we ever did. I did it the next year and they did well again. I agree though, grass is best and the Hampshire Downs do well on good permanent grass.
- Location
- Highland
+1 to some v good hay, can you get a few small bales?
Also agree i sounds like gut issues/ bloating. Are they trained to eat hard feed?
Mineral deficiency doesn't make them suddenly stop eating, it builds up over time.
Also agree i sounds like gut issues/ bloating. Are they trained to eat hard feed?
Mineral deficiency doesn't make them suddenly stop eating, it builds up over time.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Ah, I think your vet will have been referring to tests for energy and protein levels which are normally done three or four weeks before lambing so any adjustments can be made in plenty of time. Worms and fluke are out, so that narrows it down. I would certainly be giving a mineral drench, probably including copper. Other than that it probably is an energy issue.All been min drenched. All be it just did this batch when we started having issues so too late really. Had buckets for 2 month. All soils are tested for trace elements and nothing out of sort. Plenty of grass in front of them. It was as soon as they were brought in within the week intakes dropped. Always lambed inside and never been a problem at all until this year's carry on. Lost 1 yesterday so post mortem'd it and zero signs of fluke or worms. Vets have said too close to lambing for bloods?Might just get some done and I'll decide that. I think it's just that the intakes have dropped and tld is the problem.
Boydvalley
Member
- Location
- Bath
Are they getting to much protein. If your silage is exceptionally good this year along with the cake they could be burning energy to use the protein. Could be the silage is enough.