Getting fussy sheep to eat old hay

[MOG]

I have several bales of 2016 hay and silage left that I would like to get the twin ewes to eat before they are let loose on the best June hay (limited number of bales and they will need it when they come in for lambing). They are still out so finding something to pick at rather than eat the bales I put out for them. Would pouring molasses or something else over the bales help? Anyone got any tips for doing this or something else that might work (garlic power??). Twins are currently getting best part of a pound of cake a day fed by snacker.

Cheers

 

[Bones]

Starvation usually works for my sheep, on less you house them and force them to eat it they'll probably never eat it .a pound of meal and a small picking of grass is probably enough.

 

[yellowbelly]

If the weather forecast is to be believed, they might well be pleased of it come the middle of the week.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I’d try molasses

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

If sheep won't eat hay then they are either getting enough forage from other sources or it is very poor quality and they would rather starve than eat it.
Go and buy some better stuff and flog the old stuff to a horsey person!!

 

[sticky]

they are probably getting just enough with the cake as well. Molasses would get them onto the hay but if you make it too sweet will they gorge it and then have some prolapse issues. With the size of their guts diminishing due to twins would you be better off giving them some more cake to make sure they are having their energy and protein requirements or molasses in buckets.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Funny how they will eat slightly poorer stuff when housed

 

[Coximus]

Electric fence part of the field off. The higher the density of stock the less picky they are - their psychlogy makes them see the competition so eat what they can get. I'e found they will eat pretty rough crap if they think it' the only choice. They will wait and go.hungry if they think something better is coming

 

[Devil's advocate]

As a child growing up on a dairy farm in the 70's & still making hay. My job in a difficult hay season was to sprinkle salt on hay baled at what we would now call the haylage stage. The salt would absorb some of the moisture & also flavour the hay making it extremely palatable. This and mixing in alternate layers of straw used to get Dad out of trouble.

We still stack alternate layers of straw if the hay is not snuff dry. Also if baled to dodge a shower we will stand the hay up in the barn, or pop some on a trailer in a drafty spot, stacked like a radiator to get as much moisure out as possible. Keep moving bales grading what is dry to stack, what needs to dry a little more & what needs the bands cutting & going back in the field to be fluffed up & rebaled. 2017 was a hell of a lot of work but we would be in a bigger mess if we had not made the effort.

 

[spin cycle]

As a child growing up on a dairy farm in the 70's & still making hay. My job in a difficult hay season was to sprinkle salt on hay baled at what we would now call the haylage stage. The salt would absorb some of the moisture & also flavour the hay making it extremely palatable. This and mixing in alternate layers of straw used to get Dad out of trouble.

We still stack alternate layers of straw if the hay is not snuff dry. Also if baled to dodge a shower we will stand the hay up in the barn, or pop some on a trailer in a drafty spot, stacked like a radiator to get as much moisure out as possible. Keep moving bales grading what is dry to stack, what needs to dry a little more & what needs the bands cutting & going back in the field to be fluffed up & rebaled. 2017 was a hell of a lot of work but we would be in a bigger mess if we had not made the effort.

how much salt per bale?

my plan would be to put up a really bad leccy fence with no shock and put hay on other side

 

[Devil's advocate]

how much salt per bale?

my plan would be to put up a really bad leccy fence with no shock and put hay on other side

I was once told to deliver a ton of swedes all the size of a bulls testicles, I asked what age & breed of bull.

I used to spread half a calf bucket of salt on 130 bales of hay. I usually got shouted at for not calibrating my hand ful size & swing of the arm correctly.

 

[Radio]

Father in law told me of A G Street writing an article where he had a rick of poor hay and put a fence so that the cattle thought they where pinching it, needless to say they ate it all.

 

[ladycrofter]

Often I wonder how our sheep are getting by when the field looks grazed flat down but they are still out there in spite of having good haylage. As others said, if they aren't eating it, then they just aren't that hungry.

I too find the cold makes a tremendous difference in how quickly stock go through bales. Also in how quickly the sheep decide that the stalky bits are edible, after all.

 

[Greythundercloudys]

If seen me feeding silage and if it had a patch of mould on it, l would pull it out and leave it among there feet, but they alway eat it .!.