The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: goosegrl on June 19, 2015, 03:57:29 pm
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I have 2 bum lambs that are approaching 8 weeks old. They are our first and only sheep/livestock. We currently have them in a hog panel enclosure with a dog house. We move it every day to every other day. I also let them out when I am doing farm chores. We are getting close to weaning (I think). I've gone through the first 15 pages or so and searched for grass, supplemental feed and confused and I am now more confused than ever. We are raising them for the freezer but as cheaply as possible. We do have 20 acres of grass, but it is fenced for horses and it only fair condition and has a bunch of death camas so they will be in the pen and yard mostly.
Can sheep survive on just grass or do they need a supplemental feed? (seems like such a simple question but the internet is full of conflicting answers)
Once they are weaned do they need a mineral block?
Right now they have big fat round bellies, only yell for milk at their usual feeding time and munch happily on grass and their cud. Their feces is pellet.
Thanks so much.
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They should be eating creep by now, which is a hard feed you wean lambs onto after milk. I also would have weaned them off milk by now as the risk of bloat is quite high. You can't rear tame lambs cheaply though, in fact you can't rear any lambs properly on a strict budget, they will need some form of flystrike preventative pretty soon given the current weather (crovect or similar) and probably need worm/fluke treatment. Our 15 tame lambs are out with a mineral block which also helps treat orf as we've had a problem with it this year. We worked out including killing/cutting it costs about £65 to rear a tame lamb so not cheap at all :-\
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Did the lambs have colostrum at birth? Have they had two shots of Ovivac P Plus 4-6 weeks apart? Any agricultural merchant will stock lamb creep but it needs to be introduced slowly. Raising cade lambs is always a gamble. Raising cade lambs on a budget is a much greater one.
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Depends what breed/type they are, how quickly you want to slaughter them (and how big you want them for that). and how much grass you have available.
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"death camas" I've read that several times but still can't understand it! :dunce:
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"death camas" I've read that several times but still can't understand it! :dunce:
I think OP might not be UK based.
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Just had a look it's a toxic plant.
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why are you leaving a highly toxic plant in your pasture?
I appreciate that they are quite pretty bulbs ( no gorgeous but OK) but if you dug them up you would eliminate one of the reasons why part of your land is dangerous.....to ALL your animals.
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If a sheep needs much supplementary feed. . . . . it's either a case of crap ground, or crap sheep!!!
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8 week old lambs will survive on grass alone, and the shorter the grass, generally (ie 1"+ in length), the more nutrition there is in it.
But they will do better if you give them a supplement as well. They will also do better with a mineral block, and only take what they need.
If they are mainly in the yard, then it's also an idea to give them some hay as they should have food available at all time.
By far the cheapest and easiest way to raise them is on grass.
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Just had a look it's a toxic plant.
Oh, right! and thank you, Rosemary. I finish my lambs on grass, once weaned with just the odd digestive biscuit or slice of apple to keep them friendly.
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If a sheep needs much supplementary feed. . . . . it's either a case of crap ground, or crap sheep!!!
or crap / very variable weather.
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That's a very fair point sally! I always budget in for some hay in case it snows. Dont always need it, but when we do. . . . . we really do!