Protein Options Pre-Lambing

[Macsky]

Hi folks,
I’m currently feeding ewes outside on the ground with sugar beet pulp pellets, which I think are great, they love them and do well on them.

Nearer lambing I have been moving on to an 18% ewe roll, which has done the job, but I have some problems with it:

1. The ewes don’t like it as much, they spend a lot of time going from bit to bit on the ground being very picky and standing on/wasting plenty in the process(watched one sniff 7 rolls before eating one last year), and don’t really forgive me for the change, they never seem satisfied on it.

2. The birds for some reason don’t like sbp, maybe it swells too much inside them or something, not that they get too much of a chance anyway as the ewes hoover it up completely. What every gull and corvid in the vicinity does like, however, is premium ewe rolls! They turn up in a flock and descend as soon as I leave. I really want to be doing as little as possible to be attracting the crows as I get real problems with the ravens especially come lambing.

Is there an obvious protein solution to add to their diet in this situation? A block/bucket or something that could be added to the sbp that could be fed on the ground? (Don’t have troughs)(700 ewes, on 5 in 1 Mayo bolus)

Any constructive input much appreciated.

 

[andybk]

quality of your ewe roll , i expect the protein is rape or sunflower based , palitability is always an issue with those . better with soya or distillers inclusion , have a look at your ingredient list , , what price is SBP this year

 

[MrFencer]

Do oats do a similar job to SBP.
Been feeding them to use at grass at the moment and are looking well.

 

[MrFencer]

*ewes

 

[andybk]

*ewes

yes same job slow release energy , oats normaly better value as energy / oil is higher . all depends on price though , when SBP was about 150 was good but recenty been nearer 200 , which is to dear when oats are 120 , (last years prices) usually make up a mix of oats , barley , alka wheat , out at grass for finishing

 

[Fairweatherfarmer]

Oats are around that price.
Just giving them a bit as not.much grass around. First time feeding it to the ewes and look well.

 

[Macsky]

Sorry for late reply, I had no notifications appear for this thread.
I’ll see if I can get the ingredients list. My longer term plan is to feed while oats through a 3-in-1 feeder up until they are needing a bit more protein towards lambing, but will still come across the same problem I suppose.

I have fed whole oats to blackies quite a few years ago and included soya towards lambing and was amazed at the milk it put on them, but they were fed in troughs, which I don’t have where I am now, and would be quite an outlay.

 

[Bury the Trash]

There ways of making long lengths of troughs out of plastic pipe cut in half, probably a lot better value and definitely lighter than steel ones.

 

[neilo]

There ways of making long lengths of troughs out of plastic pipe cut in half, probably a lot better value and definitely lighter than steel ones.

And have all the fun of falling over the troughs and the sheep, moving them to a fresh patch of mud each day, and tipping the water/mud/bird shite out of them. No thanks, I'll stick with rolls when I need to feed.