The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: crobertson on February 22, 2017, 08:13:51 pm
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Just looking for some advice with feeding. We've started feeding our texel ewes some hard feed as they have 4 weeks left until lambing, the ram and his buddy wether are still in with the ewes as the field for post lambing is resting and we don't have another set of electric fencing. The ram himself is lovely, we have a hurdle pen in the field so when he sees us he goes and waits in the pen for his handful of coarse mix !
However we cannot get the wether in with him unless we physically catch and drag him over ! the ewes are on ewe nuts which I obviously know can't be fed to the ram but what about the wether ? How detrimental is this as we can't get him out at feeding time and he may go end up going in the freezer. I may have to end up using coarse mix on them all but I thought it would be better for the ewes to have ewe nuts.
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Yes bad for the wether, can you not feed the 2 in the small pen first then the ewes , the weather should get the habbit
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If the ram is in with the ewes then what is the weather's role? He is not needed as a companion for the ram and he is not part of your breeding stock. The girls will produce a boy lamb to be company when you need to keep ram away from ewes.
Of course if he is a valued pet then are you able to stable him with the ram until ewe feeding is over?
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You could always change the feed- i bought a bag of Badminton Pedigree Sheep Mix today for a ewe that's been poorly- reading up on badminton feed's website it is suitable for Rams, lambs and in lamb/lactating ewes. Obviously you could end up with a fat wether and ram but at least there wouldn't be the risk of urinary calculi.
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If you have no other field for him I'd bring him and the ram in for a few weeks. The ram will of lost condition while serving the ewes and the ewes will loose condition when they have lambs on them. The Wether will just keep putting on condition all year round. My neighbour has a pet wether and it really constricts her, all breeding sheep need decent grass apart from him. TBH in my flock he'd be too much trouble and I'd either give away as a pet or get another wether and keep them in their own small paddock
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Well to update the wether soon caught on, as soon as they see me approaching the field they go and wait in their pen, I can then shut them in with a handful each and feed the girls their ewe nuts in peace ......... Well behaved sheep !