No grass - supplements

[Tommy_T]

Thanks to the weather I am severely lacking in grass. Saving a field for one flock lambing outdoors and another for inside lambers to go out onto. It’s rained constantly here since September and all it’s done is encourage the rubbish to grow and drowned all the good stuff.

They’ve been on adlib hay for a while and also been feeding cake. They also have a lamb and ewe mineral bucket. There is literally no grass on the field and I wondered if picking up some haylage may help? The hay is not top quality but they do eat it, although they still wander around nibbling at I don’t know what as well. They have about two weeks to go till they’re due to lamb.

 

[Woolless]

Have you scanned or condition scored the ewes? You can also take bloods at this stage of pregnancy which will tell if they are getting sufficient protein and energy.

Edit: Decent haylage is likely to be better feed than second quality hay but both can be analysed so you know for definite.

 

[Tommy_T]

For reasons out of my control they weren’t scanned, no. Am learning not to rely on other people too much and will be getting this done next time round. This is my first year keeping sheep, and I’m new to the area, so it’s all been a bit of a challenge.

They’re mountain sheep so aiming for a BCS of 2-2.5 on them, but being mountain sheep they’re not that compliant with being felt up!! I’ve got one that I can get hold of and she felt okay, but another that’s just started to accept being checked felt a little more bony. By the look of her she could be packing twins. I didn’t have the space to separate singles and multiples anyhow so was trying to aim for a happy medium.

With the grazing being so poor I just want to try and give them the best I can.

 

[Dkb]

If you had access to beet it could be tossed out on the fields and would keep ewes ticking along until grass does come

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

Get some beet if you can?! Throw it out for the ewes and you’ll be amazed how well it does them

 

[Longlowdog]

Are they hammering your mineral buckets?
I give a less palatable bucket in the early/mid lambing then a very palatable one in the last 6 weeks. Lifeline Lamb and Ewe does it for my girls late on.

 

[Chasingmytail]

poor feed then high supplement. Get some buckets with phosphorous and calcium and perhaps some salt licks with selenium and cobalt. If you can source some quality haylage that would also be an option. Assuming you have little good grass now until April/May thing youll need to be buying in.

Id recommend if your going to take control to make up a yearly calendar of needs and check lists. Ive done mine on A4 piece paper and pinned it to the white board. First time Ive done this as things like bolusing went wrong last year.

 

[hendrebc]

Hay and cake works well for a lot of people. Myself included some years. Haylage is probably better than hay but of course it will depend on how good it is. If you have the hay and don't have to buy it then stick with it.
Beet would be great but if the ewes have never seen it before it will take a while for them to learn what it is and eat it. And by then it might be too late if lambing is 2 weeks away.
If they are getting cake and are all eating it you could stop feeding the buckets save yourself a bitt of money.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Hay and cake works well for a lot of people. Myself included some years. Haylage is probably better than hay but of course it will depend on how good it is. If you have the hay and don't have to buy it then stick with it.
Beet would be great but if the ewes have never seen it before it will take a while for them to learn what it is and eat it. And by then it might be too late if lambing is 2 weeks away.
If they are getting cake and are all eating it you could stop feeding the buckets save yourself a bitt of money.

Exactly.

And all the vits and mins they need will be in that cake.
Up the rate of it if need be but in split feeds.

 

[Tommy_T]

They have Lifeline lamb and ewe block plus a Rockies zinc lick which we have been using to try and keep their feet good. The Lifeline one seems popular with them, prob lasts them a couple of weeks.

The hay was ours but because we had no contacts etc it really stood a little too long before we were able to find someone to cut it (and we didn’t leave it till last minute, it’s just hard work finding anyone to help!) So it’s a little coarser than we’d like but I am replenishing two hay feeders twice a day (they don’t eat it all down but I keep it topped up). Have just started splitting cake ration to twice a day but have struggled to find anywhere that gives a good idea of how much per head we should be feeding. I guess because it depends on quality of hay/haylage and what grass you have, plus weight and ideal BCS there are too many variables? We’ve increased ration as these last weeks have gone by as understand with lamb getting bigger and taking up room it means less space for food and they need higher energy in smaller amounts.

Absolutely planning things differently for next year. Learning so much just don’t want them to suffer for our mistakes now. We’ll be getting more land on tack to turn them onto so everything at home gets a decent rest in preparation for lambing, and we may even downsize the flock a little, although I’d be gutted to do so (you can tell I’m new to this as I am pretty sentimental about them all!)

On a slightly different note, I read somewhere not to feed cake in the trough after lambing as it could cause mis-mothering. If they still have cake after lambing how would you feed it if not in a trough?

Thanks for all the comments - been really helpful.

 

[D.S.S18]

everyone doe it differently - it's finding what works for your system -

we have lifeline out in the field now topped up with 18% sheep nuts, previously just ran on since November on Maxx energy & haylage - for me its convenience, I have time to walk round them ever day, but not to put beet out fresh, so buckets work for use.

another week i'll fetch the ewes in on a night, they have access to a salt block and straw in a rack, with nuts split twice a day feeding and lifeline on grass.

once lambed they go into what we call a mothering up field in small batches of 10 - 15 ewes + lambs for 3-4 days - where they are caked twice a day, after that we just pop them through the gate into the field with any lifeline buckets left.

 

[Highland Mule]

They have Lifeline lamb and ewe block plus a Rockies zinc lick which we have been using to try and keep their feet good. The Lifeline one seems popular with them, prob lasts them a couple of weeks.

The hay was ours but because we had no contacts etc it really stood a little too long before we were able to find someone to cut it (and we didn’t leave it till last minute, it’s just hard work finding anyone to help!) So it’s a little coarser than we’d like but I am replenishing two hay feeders twice a day (they don’t eat it all down but I keep it topped up). Have just started splitting cake ration to twice a day but have struggled to find anywhere that gives a good idea of how much per head we should be feeding. I guess because it depends on quality of hay/haylage and what grass you have, plus weight and ideal BCS there are too many variables? We’ve increased ration as these last weeks have gone by as understand with lamb getting bigger and taking up room it means less space for food and they need higher energy in smaller amounts.

Absolutely planning things differently for next year. Learning so much just don’t want them to suffer for our mistakes now. We’ll be getting more land on tack to turn them onto so everything at home gets a decent rest in preparation for lambing, and we may even downsize the flock a little, although I’d be gutted to do so (you can tell I’m new to this as I am pretty sentimental about them all!)

On a slightly different note, I read somewhere not to feed cake in the trough after lambing as it could cause mis-mothering. If they still have cake after lambing how would you feed it if not in a trough?

Thanks for all the comments - been really helpful.

Data would help - how many sheep, how much feed per day, etc.

 

[Jameshenry]

Hay and lifeline buckets for my sheep, no grass anywhere really, i think all this rain has dissolved any grass that was about, waste of time trying to feed rolls out in the fields, stopped it 3 years ago as sheep just lose there heads when they are on that stuff, the only sheep here that are looking okay are the Exlanas, i'm sure these wool sheep suffer badly with a big wet fleece all winter,

 

[sticky]

If they're mountain sheep the chances are that they will be carrying singles especially lambing this early and so I would be wary of feeding too much cake as with two weeks to go you are only going to make the lamb bigger.
Once they've lambed would be the time to chuck cake at them. IMO.

 

[Danllan]

When grass is short - no pun intended - mine get haylage ad lib with their normal zinc rockies and Wynnstay's Premier Energy licks up until a fortnight before they're due. From then they get Lifeline Ewe & Lamb instead. They'll get cake anytime I think they need it and, routinely, as a bit of a tonic off and on for the last month.

Cake goes on the freshest bits of ground I can find if they are on a new field, or in a fully-opened creep feeder elsewhere. Troughs... with sheep... in fields... never again.

 

[puppet]

This has been the best winter for grass we have ever had.
Nevertheless if you are short then if they do not finish the hay then they are getting enough. Somewhere around 1lb cake per day should do if they are nibbling grass too., especially if you never scanned and don't want huge singles.

 

[Tommy_T]

For reasons out of my control they weren’t scanned, no. Am learning not to rely on other people too much and will be getting this done next time round. This is my first year keeping sheep, and I’m new to the area, so it’s all been a bit of a challenge.

They’re mountain sheep so aiming for a BCS of 2-2.5 on them, but being mountain sheep they’re not that compliant with being felt up!! I’ve got one that I can get hold of and she felt okay, but another that’s just started to accept being checked felt a little more bony. By the look of her she could be packing twins. I didn’t have the space to separate singles and multiples anyhow so was trying to aim for a happy medium. There’s 23 of them (small fry to most of you!) and at the minute they’re getting approx 195g per head a day split over two feeds. I’ve only just increased to this as they go into these last two weeks.

 

[Tommy_T]

Troughs... with sheep... in fields... never again.

Why?!

I haven’t tried just putting it on the ground but I imagine it’d get trampled into the mud!

 

[Highland Mule]

For reasons out of my control they weren’t scanned, no. Am learning not to rely on other people too much and will be getting this done next time round. This is my first year keeping sheep, and I’m new to the area, so it’s all been a bit of a challenge.

They’re mountain sheep so aiming for a BCS of 2-2.5 on them, but being mountain sheep they’re not that compliant with being felt up!! I’ve got one that I can get hold of and she felt okay, but another that’s just started to accept being checked felt a little more bony. By the look of her she could be packing twins. I didn’t have the space to separate singles and multiples anyhow so was trying to aim for a happy medium. There’s 23 of them (small fry to most of you!) and at the minute they’re getting approx 195g per head a day split over two feeds. I’ve only just increased to this as they go into these last two weeks.

4 weeks out from lambing, I’m feeding my blackie singles 300g and twins 450g in one feed, with some grass and hay available too. I’m aware they’re a bit bigger than natives, but your feed does seem a bit light to me (in the Highlands at 700ft).

 

[Danllan]

Why?!

I haven’t tried just putting it on the ground but I imagine it’d get trampled into the mud!

Given the chance it will go along hedge or fence lines, then they can only get it from one side. I don't put too many together either, and because more often than not it's when I move them on they just go straight up to it and eat the lot in one go.

Troughs! Within seconds the b*ggers will either have over-turned it or will be walking in it. The fact that there are so many around the one place causes a 'feeding frenzy' anyway, with all the cock-ups that means. Whereas, when I put the cake on the ground it will be in small piles five or six yards apart, they feel less 'pressure' so there isn't as much argy-bargy.

Anyway, I'm not sure I could get cake in a trough with sheep around me, not much of it anyway...