The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: rochvima on October 08, 2011, 10:38:23 am
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Hello
I have always fed my sheep ewe nuts while lambing- does anyone know anything about the Allstock feed?
It has been advised by a feed merchant and is cheaper, but I am concerned it may not be as good as my usual feed.
Hopefully someone can advise. Thankyou :)
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We use an "all rounder" feed for most things. The growing cattle and the milking cows get it, and the ewes get it from 6 - 2 weeks pre lambing, and then they get a proprietry ewe feed for the last two weeks.
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We use an allround feed for sheep too a countrymix blend and find it very good we don't tend to use ewe nuts because we feed our tups through the winter and nuts can be bad for them, so its easier to buy one feed for everything.
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The key things to look at are the protein content and the minerals and vitamins. With in-lamb ewes you also want to be sure they have enough glucose in the final 6-8 weeks, especially if they are carrying multiple lambs.
You probably feed an 18% ewe roll, the Allstock is likely to be 16%. (These are my guesses - check with the feed merchants before making your decision.) Depending on your circumstances, 16% may be fine, or maybe you'd want to feed more of it (possibly negating any saving on purchase price per kg) - tell us more about your flock, when you lamb, what tup, how many lambs you get, what you usually feed, etc.
Mins and vits are very important to in-lamb and lactating ewes. So check what mins and vits and what %ages are in each of the feeds - you can always give mins and vits a different way (licks, blocks, powder, drench, jag) if needed; there are pros and cons of every method. But again, if you'd be giving extra mins & vits on top of the Allstock feed it could negate savings - although jag or drench does ensure that all ewes get a full dose, whereas any self-service method could mean some ewes get less than others.
feldar is right you need to check the suitability of the feed for tups. Some feeds can cause calculi in the urethra in tups, so if you'd be giving the feed to your tups do check with the feed merchant that it is suitable for tups. Our local merchant has adjusted their everyday 'stockblend' feed to be ok for tups, which has saved us all quite a bit of money and management!
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We use an allround feed for sheep too a countrymix blend and find it very good we don't tend to use ewe nuts because we feed our tups through the winter and nuts can be bad for them, so its easier to buy one feed for everything.
Why are they bad for Tups?
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We use an allround feed for sheep too a countrymix blend and find it very good we don't tend to use ewe nuts because we feed our tups through the winter and nuts can be bad for them, so its easier to buy one feed for everything.
Why are they bad for Tups?
feldar is right you need to check the suitability of the feed for tups. Some feeds can cause calculi in the urethra in tups, so if you'd be giving the feed to your tups do check with the feed merchant that it is suitable for tups. Our local merchant has adjusted their everyday 'stockblend' feed to be ok for tups, which has saved us all quite a bit of money and management!
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so the 18% sheep feed is ok?
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I feed an 18% nut to everything cattle, ewes ,store lambs, rams, it started as a feed for store cattle which they modified for sheep, because it was for cattle it only contains a trace of calcined magnesite so is safe with wethers and rams. Being on old grass with no fertilizer hypomagnesaemia is not a problem so the lack of cal mag is no problem
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so the 18% sheep feed is ok?
It depends on the feed. Some are ok, some are not. Unless 'Tup' or 'Ram' is in the name, ask the supplier.
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It's the high phosphorus content which is bad for males, so don't feed too much sugar beet pellets to the boys. Most mixes will state if unsuitable for rams.
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We also mineral drench our ewes before lambing, not sure if everyone does this, but we can be certain every ewe gets it whereas you can only hope they are going to the buckets for their minerals. I know most animals will seek out minerals if they need them but sometimes the sheep are way down the fields and the buckets are up the top so we give a dose down the throat to be absolutely certain.
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Thanks for all the comments.
The ewe nuts I currently feed are BOCM Pauls- EB Quality EWE 18 Nuts, I also feed SUPALYX lick buckets prior to lambing.
I lamb in March/April. (I have 15 Ewes- suffolk mules and texel cross)
I have a charolais tup and a Ryeland tup- although I havent used the Ryeland as yet as not sure if it would be a good cross with the suffolks and texels.
I had 27 lambs last year.
I hope this helps- the Allstock feed is 18% and suitable for the Tups
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Ok, rochvima. So the Allstock is the same % protein as you have been feeding and is ok for tups. Is it rolls as well or is it a mix?
If rolls, then on the face of it, it sounds as though you can save some money here. Personally I would still be comparing the list of ingredients and %ages to see whether, for instance, the cheaper feed has more Ash, or fibre, or has less vitamins (though this last may not matter if you are putting licks out as well.)
If it's a mix, I'd still compare ingredients. The other factor is that you can usually feed rolls on the ground but unless it's always dry you probably want to be feeding a mix in troughs.
Finally, if it matters to you, you may want to check things like GM free or not.
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It's the high phosphorus content which is bad for males, so don't feed too much sugar beet pellets to the boys. Most mixes will state if unsuitable for rams.
Sugar beet pulp shreds soaked for 24 hrs,given in 3 to 5 feeds each day is a standard way to get rams ready for show or sale
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I do feed some beet, but no more than 1/3 of the ration.
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It's actually high magnesium that causes stones in the urethra of male sheep. It is important, therefore to ensure they always have a good supply of clean water, as this reduces the risk.
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its really good picking up these tips, I wold have had no idea about this one ! the 18% I feed is labelled ewe plus 18%
in fact here is the link http://www.snackandtack.co.uk/farm-animals-c43/sheep-c93/attlee-ewe-nuts-p801 (http://www.snackandtack.co.uk/farm-animals-c43/sheep-c93/attlee-ewe-nuts-p801)
as its labelled ewe nuts hopefully ok for tups, it does say its a great general purpose feed....... any comments?
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I've only ever once had a male sheep with a urinary stone and that was in a particularly fine Ryland ram lamb, about 6 months old, and he was on grass with a mineral lick available. He was in agony and we had to have him put down.
However, I normally keep the tup in with my ewes till after lambing and he therefore eats (in great quantities) all the good food and minerals that they get and with no ill effect.
I therefore believe that there are some rams that are prone to stones, whatever you do, - just like humans. You can therefore only help reduce the risk by ensuring a good and clean water supply and I have since heard that giving cider viegar is helpful.