TMR- sheep

[Mc115reed]

Anybody feeding sheep tmr at lambing? I feed hay down feed barriers now anyways so wouldn’t need too modify the shed really... feeder wagon is parked in the nettles round the back... Iv got access too hay, haylage, maize, beans, oats and barley fairly easily and I rent my shed off a man with a corn mill ...

Do you still supplement with any ewe nuts? Or throw them in the ration too?

What do you do when ewes have lambed and go into individual pens? Fork ration into a bucket or move onto ewe nuts and hay? .. what kind of Kg per head per day you feeding?

How much feed space per ewe is needed? I’m guessing less competition so wouldn’t need as much as when feeding corn down barriers?

 

[ShooTa]

lady called Sandi brock on the youtubes./

Sandi Brock

I am a mom, a wife, and a farmer. In that order (most days). This channel is all about wading the waters of these three versions of me... Learning new things...

www.youtube.com

 

[tr250]

Yes we do. Probably done it for 15+ years. My brother does feeding so not 100% on amounts as he varies it a bit but it’s grass clamp silage ideally 30%dm, barley, soya, high sugar molasses and minerals we are going to replace soya with beans this year. We have feed space for roughly a quarter of the ewes and yes we feed them with it in buckets in pens

 

[tepapa]

My neighbours had a go last year. They had a bit of a job getting a ration worked out that complemented the silage but where happy overall. They changed the silage and therefore ration halfway through as they ran out of one field and started on another and they reckoned that had an affect as the sheep adjusted. They didn't get the soya delivered early enough to start feeding as they wanted.
Their lesson for next year was to get organised sooner so they can start feeding earlier if weather or conditions require and plan it so not to change the ration half way through if possible.
They used a lot less conc on the ewes which was the plan so they could feed the lambs instead.

 

[Mc115reed]

My neighbours had a go last year. They had a bit of a job getting a ration worked out that complemented the silage but where happy overall. They changed the silage and therefore ration halfway through as they ran out of one field and started on another and they reckoned that had an affect as the sheep adjusted. They didn't get the soya delivered early enough to start feeding as they wanted.
Their lesson for next year was to get organised sooner so they can start feeding earlier if weather or conditions require and plan it so not to change the ration half way through if possible.
They used a lot less conc on the ewes which was the plan so they could feed the lambs instead.

My big worry is not having the diet right and it costing me in the long run, I didn’t feed enough last year and had poor colostrum because of it but by the time you realise the damage is done...

 

[tepapa]

My big worry is not having the diet right and it costing me in the long run, I didn’t feed enough last year and had poor colostrum because of it but by the time you realise the damage is done...

The wife of the partnership is a very clever lady but she still struggled to get the diet required as the information just doesn't exist for sheep like it does in dairy cattle. You try getting the breakdown of UDP and RDP for everything and then work out how that ratio changes as flowrate increases.
Think the biggest challenge was trying to figure out if they should use soya or sopralin to get the balance of RDP and UDP to go with the base forage.
If colostrum is poor then feed more soya, simples, that stuff is life changing. They say they only need it for 3weeks pre lambing but if ewes are a bit poor or old give it for a bit longer as later lambing ewes that have had more always seem to do better.

 

[hally]

Why mess around with straights as I can’t see much saving unless you can buy decent quantities, I am going this way this year but just intend on buying a premixed meal from my local compounder. Certainly until I get into the way of the job.

 

[Pistonbroke]

We get a ewe blend from Bibby/ carrs. The ingredients are better than most cakes and it suits mixing. Fishmeal was the magic bullet when it was available. Milk and colostrum would double in 24 hrs with only a small amount added.

 

[Downtrodden Dad]

I just buy the compound as a meal to add to the silage, I'm sure it can be done a lot cheaper with straights but I don't have the storage space, and it's simple and that's worth a lot to me.

 

[Pistonbroke]

Unless you are buying big amounts of the straights you don't have a good price so need a lot of storage. Coupled to that you have to pay up earlier than you are using the feed. I just get ten ton as it's needed and some soya in tote bags to fine tune

 

[betweenthelines]

Easier/quicker to run a couple of bags of feed along the top of the hay than use a lot of kit to get the same result.

Also a good opportunity to see if everyone is feeding.

 

[Mc115reed]

Easier/quicker to run a couple of bags of feed along the top of the hay than use a lot of kit to get the same result.

Also a good opportunity to see if everyone is feeding.

I’m a bit short on feed space though and not keen on the big scrum at the feed barrier if I don’t tmr it’ll be ewe rolls thrown on the bedding ... the kit is already there so wouldn’t be any expense that way ...

 

[tr250]

I’m a bit short on feed space though and not keen on the big scrum at the feed barrier if I don’t tmr it’ll be ewe rolls thrown on the bedding ... the kit is already there so wouldn’t be any expense that way ...

Yes we would need another shed to fit them all in if we fed with bags and it’s 15 mins a day to feed 600 ewes on top of the hour feeding the cattle. They are far more settled and never make noise when you come round the corner so you can actually see them lambing

 

[Mc115reed]

Yes we would need another shed to fit them all in if we fed with bags and it’s 15 mins a day to feed 600 ewes on top of the hour feeding the cattle. They are far more settled and never make noise when you come round the corner so you can actually see them lambing

That is what’s steering me towards going tmr and all the food is available too me already apart from soya ... might have too get a nutritionist round for a natter as I’m not intelligent enough too work out what would be needed haha

 

[tr250]

That is what’s steering me towards going tmr and all the food is available too me already apart from soya ... might have too get a nutritionist round for a natter as I’m not intelligent enough too work out what would be needed haha

Your silage will be what makes or breaks the ration. Too wet and they will get too much into then and too dry they will sort the concentrates out. Are you clamp silage and what sort of leys?

 

[Mc115reed]

Your silage will be what makes or breaks the ration. Too wet and they will get too much into then and too dry they will sort the concentrates out. Are you clamp silage and what sort of leys?

Fresh Seeds bale haylage is the grass source I have access too, possibly some red clover bales also..

 

[No wot]

How many sheep will you be feeding? , using an old diet feeder could cause alot of stress when it breaks down on a regular basis and hungry sheep to worry about , but obviously a new one would add significant cost ,

 

[Mc115reed]

How many sheep will you be feeding? , using an old diet feeder could cause alot of stress when it breaks down on a regular basis and hungry sheep to worry about , but obviously a new one would add significant cost ,

Be about 300 ish by time there’s been a few barrens drafted out... feeder wagon isn’t that old feeds cows every day so that’s not a worry ...

 

[Pistonbroke]

Be about 300 ish by time there’s been a few barrens drafted out... feeder wagon isn’t that old feeds cows every day so that’s not a worry ...

When you have basics there already,it's a no brainer. Few tote bags of soya will go a long way for that number. I've been doing the TMR here since 1985, age 13! The way I do it is put the total amount of concentrate for the number you're feeding and vary the silage so they clear up just about next feeding time, avoiding the crowding and gorging. Clearing up stops fresh feed going on top of old and causing it to heat. It will be a bit of guesswork to begin with but you will already have an idea of what quantity of silage they eat now so start there

 

[Skintagain]

Personally I think you will be too dry with Haylage.

If you had silage i would have it analysed and then buy a blend to suit as simple as that.