The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: vegpatch on November 25, 2019, 04:57:53 pm
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Our 3 sheep have in a matter of weeks, with the help of the nonstop rain, demolished a Himalayan salt lick I gave them. Can they overdose on this stuff - it appears to be like 'crack' for sheep!
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You’ll need to keep it out of the rain or it will dissolve.
My block has lasted our 3 sheep a year and is about 2/3 the size it was when i bought it.
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Make sure the container it is in has good drainage, or most of it is going in the soil ;) If you place them on the ground they won’t last long at all in rain.
We drill holes in the bottom and low down on the sides of an empty lick bucket or trug, then fix that container inside an old tyre. They will still go down quicker in very wet weather than in dry, but nothing like as fast as if they are straight on the ground.
[member=2128]Womble[/member] makes rainhats for his... ;p
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Himalayan salt blocks for sheep !! Whatever next? vegpatch, you need to start thinking about your salt miles ;)
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Pink Himalayan sea salt contains over 84 minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron,
It would be great if we could find similar under the ground here, but in the absence of a locally-produced mineral-rich additive-free salt, I too will be putting out the lumps of hand-mined ancient salt from the Punjab.
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I bought my first one on Saturday. For the goats. They had them where I borrowed the billy from.
But mainly because I seem to have mislaid my big 'Red Rocky'.
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I've made a holder from a ?5 gallon liquids container.
Cut out a square on the side, a few drain holes in the base and tie to the fence rails.It's worked really well for big rockies blocks and the salt, I was getting fed up of the rockies getting wasted in the rain.If it stops raining long enough later I'll get a photo for you.
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Many thanks for all the suggestions - will see what I can bodge by way of a holder this weekend. Re salt miles - yes, it doesn't sit well with me but was all I could find at the local feed store that didn't have copper/molasses in it - and molasses, long woolled sheep and a never ending slimy hoard of giant slugs isn't a pretty mix :yuck:
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this works well.
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Thanks Dogwalker - that looks great.