The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Bionic on March 04, 2013, 12:17:09 pm

Title: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Bionic on March 04, 2013, 12:17:09 pm
My pregnant ewes are on lick, adlib hay and hard feed which gets split into two feeds a day.
I am assuming that I continue to feed the nuts until some time after lambing so that they keep a good supply of milk. At what stage do I stop the hard feed?
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Foobar on March 04, 2013, 12:33:59 pm
Two weeks max?  It would depend on the grass availability really.
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Rosemary on March 04, 2013, 01:09:15 pm
I usually tail it off over three weeks, depending on the grass.
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Bionic on March 04, 2013, 01:40:53 pm
Great, thanks both of you
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Anke on March 04, 2013, 01:41:38 pm
I normally go for about two weeks, especially if I bring mums & babies back into a small field/shelter which I had to do last year because of the weather - the food has them running to me, even with lambs....
 
Also I always put in a High-Mag lick post lambing, just to make sure that they don't get grass staggers.
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Bionic on March 04, 2013, 01:48:52 pm
Anke, my girls are on a high energy supalyx at the moment (red bucket). If you are using supalyx can you give me the bucket colour please.
thanks
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Anke on March 04, 2013, 02:09:05 pm
Supalix does a BLUE bucket which is the high-mag. If you ask for "HIGH-MAGNESIUM" licks for after lambing in your local merchants they will have one there. Not sure if you can get a smallish one though... I have used mine for a couple of years now. Some ewes use it and others don't....
Title: Re: When to stop the hard feed?
Post by: Fleecewife on March 04, 2013, 02:42:35 pm
My ewes soon lose interest in the hard feed after they've lambed, so I just tail it off as they eat less.  We lamb in April so the grass is coming in by then.