The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Moleskins on November 21, 2010, 09:49:11 am
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I quite often wonder if I'm doing the right things at the right time.
So I thought it might be an idea, which would be useful to many,
to ask this question once every month say. Then all us less experienced
shepherds and newbies can judge whether or not we're feeding at the right
time, injecting when we should and treating for flies when we need to.
At the moment I'm giving mine a bit of sugar beet feed and the tup has been
in since the end of October. 7 definite marked ewes and 2 got a bit of colour on
but I think he just jumped on them and not actually mated. Changed colour
on the 14th Nov.
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really good idea. i worry that mine are quite muddy at the moment.its where i feed them as they all have grass fields but i am supplementing with hay so they stand around alot.is that alright.
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A good Idea,
At the start of a month someone posting a what needs to be done this month.
I'm always wondering if I'm doing the right thing at the right time -is it the right injection ie HEPVAC/wormer etc.When should I be giving it... :-\
Once youv'e done once (or thrice in my case :-[ :-[) it's okay - but it's knowing in the first place...
Because we made hay late (September) we are a bit short of grass so I'm giving a small feed of barley - damped sugarbeet -a few ewe nuts/coarse nuts. I know you don't have to feed sugar bit soaked but old habits die hard (horses) and it dampens the barley. They have some Hay as well with vitamin tubs.
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Ours are grubby too- they hang around at the field gate, or the entrance to the field shelter and it is muddy there. We give a bit of hay to try and stop them stealing the goat kid's hay (goat kids are living in the field shelter at the mo). And giving a few sheep nuts at night- but we are only doing this as they are lambs which we hope to send to slaughter soon. Just trying to fatten up 2 of them.
We will be dosing the 2 who will be with us a bit longer for fluke this week.
Beth
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Our lambs are muddy too and for the same reasons. Feeding up the ram lambs which are due to go for slaughter early December as its taken ages to get weight on them this year. They've grown in height, but just not put the meat on :-\ Ewe lambs dagged last weekend cos they'd been mucky and it just keeps building up if you don't clip it off :P Ewes all covered by respective rams AND......great excitement.... got trio of Grey Faced Dartmoors arriving from Dorset on Sunday ;D ;D ;D ;D They'll stay in a stable for a couple of days so I can worm 'em and check feet etc.
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November is a quiet month for our sheep as they are in with their respective tups. We started with 5 groups of Hebrideans and 2 of Soay, but had problems with one of the groups away on someone else's pasture, so we had to bring them back after only a week. This has upset the tupping times of course as we had to isolate them for a while before we put them into some of the tupping groups at home. In exchange we had agreed to tup some Soays belonging to the owner of the 'away' tup - unfortunately they brought conjunctivitis (pink eye) with them so we have had to round up all the little devils in that group, plus some more which had through-fence contact, every day to treat their eyes. IM Terramycin shouldn't be used on in-lamb ewes (apparently it has an 'anti-anabolic effect') but we had to use it on 3, 2 of which were still cycling so should be ok. What a nuisance - so much for my well-organised 4 weeks of tupping, to keep lambing just in April. And so much for November being a quiet month for us. Still, lesson learned.
We feed our ewes with ad lib hay plus a small amount of 'tup&lamb'/coarse mix and they have a licky bucket. They also get willow branches throughout the winter. Some years we don't do all this so soon but this year we have had snow and deep frosts for a while, so the grass has no nutritional value left in it. More deep cold and frosts to come this week.
We usually worm our stock just before the tups go in, but this year they didn't need it. We will watch them closely but I don't expect to have to do them again until after lambing. We also check every animals feet at that time, and trim any which need it. Sometimes that lasts through until after lambing, but if any individuals start to limp over the winter we catch them and do a trim.
Our meat boys go off in August at 16 months, so we have a small group to overwinter - they have ad lib hay, plus coarse mix when there is deep snow lying. Our unbred ewe hoggs have a fairly similar regime, and our 'old biddies' which are past breeding age but are pets so stay on here until they drop off their perches are fed masses !! Spoilt ::)
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We have 15 Shetland ewes in with our Shetland tup, all being fed hay now the snow has started plus a tiny bit of ewe nuts or wheat and a lick. Hardly feed them as some are first time mums so dont want any big babies!
The two ram companion wethers plus 3 wethers who will go off to abbatoir in the spring at 27 months (mutton!) and 15 months (hoggett) are together in a different field along with a ram lamb from this year, who will either need to be sold or go to abbatoir in the spring.
Two old girls who have had mastitis and so arent bred from (yes I know they should be mutton too, but....) are in a third field along with my only surviving ewe lamb from this year (the other was killed in a dog attack off the moor :-(((()
The latter two groups just get hay water and a lick food wise.
We havent needed to worm or fluke anything to date, tho we do heptavac prior to lambing. All of them had their feet and tags done before tupping time.
We expect to lamb from about 5 April give or take. To date 13 lambs have been born here, but this coming year there will be a lot more tiny feet!
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I have finished the fencing on my new grazing area of 7.5 acres, split it into 3 seperate paddocks so I can manage the grass through the winter, im changing the tup paste every 2-3 weeks have done red, green, and will now put on yellow, half of my 21 ewes will lamb in Feb the other half will lamb through april, they are munching through the 1st field and will be eaten tight in the next couple of weeks, have set up a penned area for checking them ect and have a hay rack there and troughs for feeding near to lambing.....built a door into the pen with my nephew and all I need now is a shelter....
Had one death of an older ewe I think now was just old age...
It nice to see what everyones doing.....
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getting the ram back out of next doors flock again. he can clear stock fencing and barbed wire in a single bound. we have just had to offer to buy any coloured shetland lambs next year. how bad does ram meat taste.
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oops ;D five breeding groups with five different rams nearly had one break a fence but so far so good but alot smaller than shetlands so no fence jumping.
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SO if you feed sugar beet, is it the shreds? and it doesnt have to be soaked? In other words, what brand?
Ours have a couple of licks and as I cant get hay til Fri and the snow has started, am giving them a small amount of course mix, well, it was once per day but after todays snow they have had a small amount twice today.
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Blinkers, we've just bought 4 Greyface Dartmoor ewes. We should compare notes since it sounds like you know what you're doing! Ours are also in quarantine while our vet is on holiday. We weren't sure what to do with worming and dosing etc
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We use the ten minute soaking beet although we make up enough for a couple of days at a time. In this weather it keeps well hydrated for some days but in summer it ferments. We don't like the long soak stuff because of the risk of someone being a bit hasty with the soaking.
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I've just had my Suffolk ram stolen. You wouldn't believe it - but there's no other explanation- a ram just doesn't wander off on his own from a well fenced field. It actually happened 2 weeks ago, just as I was about to put him with the bulk of my ewes. He was in a field with 3 other sheep and 4 donkeys. Lucky they didnt take the donkeys. Fortunately I'd got one ram lamb left from this year's crop - he's not as well bred as his dad but he's not a bad shape, so instead of ending up as roast dinner it's like all his birthdays have come at once and he's been promoted to chief ram. So if anyone in Goole area has a Suffolk ram they've finished with, please contact me.
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Hi All,
Good to see what you are all doing.
BBBRRrrrr to the snow and frost for those living up at the other end of the world. We've had a couple of frosty mornings here but mostly it's wet - what else when you live in West Wales...
As yet not TOOoo muddy in our paddocks but grass is getting short.
Feeding Sugar Beet - i think I've read you can feed it dry to sheep not sure if it means only the nuts or only the shreds. I use the shreds and soak (not wringing wet) just plimbed up, sometimes adding a bit more each day if a bit wet in the bottom of the bucket.
Feeding hay ad-lib they're not eating much so must be still finding some grass... They also have licks.
Did worm/fluke the girls (still had Combinex in the cupboard) and checked their bums and feet.
Our borrowed Charolias Ram came today - the girls fell over their selves to make up to him ;D ;D with only 5 girls to 'see' to he thinks he's in heaven.
An update to 'itchy sheep' thread, VLA said not lice or scab so are setting dermatology cultures. Meanwhile I've daubed the scabs with Sudocreme.
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yes we feed sugar beet pulp without soaking.
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yes we feed sugar beet pulp without soaking.
I'm really surprised by this since I looked up several manufacturers of the product - flakes, shreds or pellets - who all say it needs to be soaked, indeed that it can absorb nearly five times its own weight in water. If the stuff expands inside the gut this can't surely be good? When my dog got into a bag of dry food he was very uncomfortable for several days with a distended stomach: vet said nature had to take its course.
I'm sticking to soaking it. Speedibeet takes 10mins while the conventional is 24 hours.
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I soak it for the horses but not sheep as i have been told by sereval people that it dosent need to for sheep.
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Ive also heard that, not sure why different but I heard it is. Altho not everyone has water out as they should for sheep and if no ad lib un frozen water it shouldnt even be considered.
I wouldnt feed it unsoaked either but mainly cos I have horses too so have that approach to sugar beet.
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You can feed it unsoaked to sheep or goats, but you do need to be careful to only feed a small amount! As obviously it does expand. We normally soak it for the goats, but have on occasion fed a tiny bit dry.
Beth
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after re catching him again. we put him in the byre he smashed down an internal stone wall smashed through the door and did a runner into the open moor after jumping half a dozen fences. so if we do catch him he will be getting the final chop.
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:o :o
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Theres going to be a lot of coloured shetland crosses out there this spring ::)
I feel for you, animals getting out into neighbours stock must be a nightmare. Mind you when I had my two Shetland cows I was always very tempted to whoops they escaped with our neighbours prize Aberdeen angus breeding bulls which sell in some cases for five figures....
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Shetland Paul, must be a nightmare for you, but very entertaining for us, Ive been reading it out to my wife and kids and had shreks of laughter and amazments, let us know if you get him back? he is obviously a shetland Ram? didnt realise they are so aggressive? I have a few but they are x City farm so very humanised...
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he was such a sweet boy. but now he is just a randy little sheep. funny its only now that folks tell us that its normal for shetland rams. i think we need a diffrent breed one with out springs in there feet. poor abi spent most of the day doing cross country and she was wondering why her leg hurt her. the wall was a thick 2-3 thick drystone/morter one so he really did not want to be in. our pigs moved into the byre today for there last week or so. thought they were going to be mud balls. however they were spotless. serious deep mud. the son was moving a broken pallet out of there run andhe sank up to his knees. we were laughing at him until it turned out he had borrowed my boots.
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I wouldnt advise sugar beet be fed dry as everyones idea of 'just a bit' differs. It more than doubles in size when soaked and the standard pellet version is best soaked overnight. There is a version which needs less soaking but I've never tried it. either way, I'd always soak.
PS: Re sheep pellets - when you guys say feeding 'just a bit', how much (per animal)? I'm bit unsure what quantity to feed and nothing on my bag (cos I've ripped it).
Ta.
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The amount of concentrates you feed depends utterly on factors such as the breed you keep, what other feed they are getting, the stage of gestation of ewes, the type of concentrate and so on. For my primitive breeds, on hill land, a small acreage, frozen ground, with ad lib hay and licky buskets, and running with the tups, we give them about a couple of ounces per head of Tup & Lamb coarse mix per day. Because of where we are, we will continue at about that level until 6 weeks before they are due to start lambing, but doubling the amount if there is deep snow lying for more than a day. By lambing time, we will be giving them 4 ounces twice a day, maybe more depending on how they look.
For bigger non-primitive breeds, that amount will be much greater, but others can tell you how much. Also, some people will be using ewe pencils, which can be bought in two different protein values, for in-lamb and non breeding animals (I think 18% and 14% respectively). We don't use pencils just because the coarse mix looks so much more appetising ::)
So the best thing for your particular sheep is to enquire from your breed society, or the manufacturers of the feed.
Another way of judging how much to give is empirically - in other words, you observe carefully how effective what they are getting is. If they appear to be in good condition and are not ravenously hungry, or getting thin, but eat all you put down within 5 or ten minutes, then you have got it about right. Sheep are not likely to overeat if they have all they need in front of them. If all they had was concentrates then they would probably eat too much, but as long as they have hay to 'fill their bellies' and plenty of water in addition to licky buckets and the concentrates they will be fine.
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Thanks for the info.
They are too young to be put into lamb, no snow here, longish grass and about to be put into new field they've never had access to before. They have their sheep mineral lick in their shelter but no other 'licky' (?).
So much other feed to fit into the feed bin I made the error of ripping the bag down to squeeze it in so all info gone.
As I understand it, no need to feed hay unless grass under snow? Although nutrition content low at the moment, we have plenty of grass.
I'd rather appear dumb and ask than get it wrong.......
:sheep: :dunce:
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Long grass is fine and substitutes for hay, neither has much goodness but lots of good work in keeping tummies warm and working and sheepies snug and warm.
Watch out about losing the label on the feed sack, when animal health do an inspection (we got one day notice) they pay very close attention to matters like sack labels/batch nos being present, as well as feed storage, so worth hanging onto the label.
My Shetlands get a small clenched handful of ewe nuts/whole wheat each, really just a treat, even the ones in with the ram. Other than that they just have ad lib hay and mineral lick and water. I up the food to one small scoop of nuts 6 weeks before lambing. To date I havent had any lambing issues at all based on this and the (pure) shetlands have had
2009 5 ewes 8 lambs
2010 4 ewes 6 lambs
have 15 lambing this year tho!