Lime in water trough

[Coximus]

I've got the use of some very over stood rough grazing free of charge (80ac) over winter. Acid ground around 4.2 and high but fine for swales csrrying singles and some easycare too.
Owner said he used to leave limestone Rock in the water feeders and agitated it now and again. They're manually filled. He was adamant that this gave his sheep the calcium they needed. He used a hard local lime.
I've got access to very soluble chalk, and if so would this work or is it just a silly idea? Obviously not liming another person's land unless I had 10y tenancy but obviously want the ewes to have plenty of calx and mag j. Their diet over the winter.

 

[Agrivator]

It will stop algae growing, but a ready supply of Calcium might make the ewes more prone to Calcium Deficiency round about lambing time. In other words, they are not used to mobilising their calcium reserves as they approach lambing - juts like dairy cows after calving who suffer with milk fever if they have been fed too high a level of Calcium in the dry period.

 

[JackoTS90]

I would buy some lick blocks with calcium and other trace elements, your pasture could be deficient in iodine and copper which can also lead to weak lambs and calves at lambing, which reduces their survivability.

 

[Yale]

I‘d bolus the ewes with a quality bolus if the pasture/TE availability is poor ata minimum.

Also put out a magnesium bucket or two which will contain a little calcium during later pregnancy to help the ewes mobilise the calcium.