Feeding ewes

[logan12]

Due to start lambing on the 20th March and by now would normally be feeding ewes meal but I haven’t started this year yet. They are extremely fat due to the high quality silage this year. I’m actually a bit scared to fed them any meal at all as they really can’t afford to get any fatter, anyone any opinions or advice?

 

[johnspeehs]

Due to start lambing on the 20th March and by now would normally be feeding ewes meal but I haven’t started this year yet. They are extremely fat due to the high quality silage this year. I’m actually a bit scared to fed them any meal at all as they really can’t afford to get any fatter, anyone any opinions or advice?

Are they scanned? I'd have thought they wouldn't need much meal until the end of the month for twins and triplets, singles if they are fat, a feed bucket if you're feeling generous.

 

[HarryB97]

I have never fed meal to any breeding stock wether they are outside on grass, roots or inside on silage. Fat ewes are asking for trouble and lots of big lambs, sheep are meant to loose condition over winter in preperation for lambing so I would save yourself some cash and treat it as a 'trial'

 

[logan12]

Are they scanned? I'd have thought they wouldn't need much meal until the end of the month for twins and triplets, singles if they are fat, a feed bucket if you're feeling generous.

yes all scanned and grouped according to how many lambs they are having. I think I’ll try and hold off until the end of the month and see how they are looking then

 

[logan12]

I have never fed meal to any breeding stock wether they are outside on grass, roots or inside on silage. Fat ewes are asking for trouble and lots of big lambs, sheep are meant to loose condition over winter in preperation for lambing so I would save yourself some cash and treat it as a 'trial'

Yes I think fat ewes definitely cause more problems than thin ewes and definitely don’t want any trouble at lambing. I will hold off until the end of the month and see what the story is

 

[Skintagain]

Crystalyx tubs for trips and twins imo

 

[Guleesh]

Crystalyx tubs for trips and twins imo

Crystalyx tubs are useful once they've been emptied, other than that, a waste of money imho

 

[Skintagain]

Crystalyx tubs are useful once they've been emptied, other than that, a waste of money imho

If an 80kg tub saved one shy feeding triplet I don’t think they are a waste of money

 

[muleman]

I have never fed meal to any breeding stock wether they are outside on grass, roots or inside on silage. Fat ewes are asking for trouble and lots of big lambs, sheep are meant to loose condition over winter in preperation for lambing so I would save yourself some cash and treat it as a 'trial'

I'd rather 'trial ' it on your sheep than mine!

 

[Guleesh]

If an 80kg tub saved one shy feeding triplet I don’t think they are a waste of money

I understand now why you call yourself Skintagain

 

[Skintagain]

I understand now why you call yourself Skintagain

I don’t have magic sheep that survive on fresh air

 

[Guleesh]

I don’t have magic sheep that survive on fresh air

How much does an 80kg tub cost though?

 

[Al R]

Yes I think fat ewes definitely cause more problems than thin ewes and definitely don’t want any trouble at lambing. I will hold off until the end of the month and see what the story is

I find ewes 4-5 BCS will need much more pulling than 2-3’s. Somewhere around 3.5 would be ideal, not so much lamb size but they carry to much fat on their ar5e that they can’t push even small lambs out. Stop the singles having silage and put them on bare ground if possible. Twins and triplets will be fine on grass but I’d give mineral tub to triplets now as insurance and twins 10-14 days off lambing. Depends what else they’ve got to eat apart from good silage

 

[Skintagain]

[QUOTE="Guleesh, post: 7408464, member: 14718
How much does an 80kg tub cost though?
[/QUOTE]
Too much. My point is. If I had a load of obese ewes I wouldn’t want to cake them to make them any fatter. crystalyx or the likes is the only way of offering them something if they are going twin lamb. How would do it?

 

[Guleesh]

[QUOTE="Guleesh, post: 7408464, member: 14718
How much does an 80kg tub cost though?

Too much. My point is. If I had a load of obese ewes I wouldn’t want to cake them to make them any fatter. crystalyx or the likes is the only way of offering them something if they are going twin lamb. How would do it?
[/QUOTE]

I'll admit to you, we have hill ewes here and I'm certainly no expert on rearing triplets. I just believe that crystalyx tubs are a very expensive way of getting a small amount of energy into ewes that probably/potentially don't need it.

It seems to me that they're a good way to feel like you're doing something without actually doing anything except spending money on a miracle bucket that you just throw in a field. Sheep were around for a year or two before lick tubs were thought up but It seems that once folk start using them they can't stop, without really knowing whether they're actually helping anything.

We've had great success with just dosing propylene glycol to ewes going twin lamb. I prefer this to watching greedy ewes with brown faces standing at a bucket all day long.

If you're making enough profit to justify it then obviously that's great. I was just giving my own opinion on lick buckets, and when I said I understand why you call yourself Skintagain I meant it as a lighthearted joke.

 

[Mc115reed]

I'd rather 'trial ' it on your sheep than mine!

Iv “trialled” it on mine before and lambing was a ducking disaster! No milk on f**k all... tiny floppy lambs and treating twin lamb every other day never again! Once they start breaking down that fat on there back your in an up hill battle you can’t win ... Id be asking myself if they’re so fat why the hell are they on silage nearlY 2 months pre lambing? Let them loose a bit of weight like they’re designed too over winter then start too build on it.... molasses would probs be my thoughts if they’re fat because you just want too keep piling the energy into them not the food

 

[hally]

I wouldn’t try to alter anything in the last 6 weeks, too late to slim them down just feed as normal as a shortage of energy and protein can make a harder lambing than for ewes if they start going down with twin lamb and then no milk when they do lamb.