The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: m3joeEm on January 29, 2015, 07:43:58 pm
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A somewhat silly question but thought I would put it out there:
So every time I enter the field , the sheep, as you would expect, go mad for their ration and It makes it very difficult to fill their troughs. Anyone any tips or tricks to keep them away or trick them when I fill the troughs safely?
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Buy rolls throw them on the floor
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use a dog to hold them back? use rolls? feed using feed blocks? or stick out a bale feeder and feed forage instead
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Never seen rolls before? Are they more expensive? (new to sheep farming) it's near lambing, they get silage and nuts, they are going to be indoors with troughs as I haven't got feeding barriers set up. I might actually use hurdles to block of a feeding area and then let them in. Waste of hurdles maybe :/
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They are outside at the moment but coming in soon
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Use rolls and feed on the floor in and out. Or buy knee protectors. Or walk through feeders. No more expensive than nuts
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This time of year it's best to buy ewe rolls and find the cleanest driest part of the field and scatter them out using a different place the next day.
I started out using troughs last year and found it too hard to get feed into them without the stampede but also they troughs were a magnet for muck!
Once indoors these can be scattered in a line through the straw.
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I am going to look into getting rolls. Glad I posted this after all, cheers all!
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I feed rolls to the pigs in the winter and they dont sink in the mud, my pig rolls are actually cheaper than nuts are per kilo, I dont know about the price of ewe nuts though
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:wave: i fed a few ton of rolls couple of years back when we had real bad snow . i found them to be quite bad on the older ewes teeth . had alot of broken mouths,i did have a load of old draft blackies at the time . anyone else found this with rolls ?
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So you are saying they broke their back teeth on them?
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I have my troughs just over the fence so just have to lean over to fill them, got fed up being tipped over!
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So you are saying they broke their back teeth on them?
:wave: no front . they were all correct (120)at tupping more than half were broken mouthed when i checked them to sell with lambs at foot . the only thing i had done differnt was feed rolls .it was only thing i could think of would have caused it
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I can't say its something I've seen, I wouldn't expect them to use the fronts to that extent with rolls vs blocks or roots :thinking:
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Do you have a pen where you can put the troughs but keep the sheep out? Fill the troughs then open the gate to let the sheep in and stand well back!!!
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I can't say its something I've seen, I wouldn't expect them to use the fronts to that extent with rolls vs blocks or roots :thinking:
:wave: they only had haylage and adlib 16% protein molasses as normal and i got the rolls in as we had about a foot of solid ice/snow for more than 2 months .not sure it was what done there teeth but as i said was the only thing i had changed from normal . younger ewes were fine was only the old blackies .
but back to original post rolls are far easyer to feed on ground . i seen a guy who had a pen made in corner of field with hurdles used to keep them shut out till he had filled troughs .
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When I feed it's easiest to have a pen set-up, fill troughs inside, ewes queue up outside, then let them in and if I find anyone is not quite right I can check at the same time as all are in.! Easy!
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If not too many sheep drop a handful into the first trough and while the sheep are all piling in to that put feed into the second trough, if a lot of sheep a handful in the second one too. Go down the line and then retrace your steps and fill the first trough up.
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If not too many sheep drop a handful into the first trough and while the sheep are all piling in to that put feed into the second trough, if a lot of sheep a handful in the second one too. Go down the line and then retrace your steps and fill the first trough up.
I do it like that too; dump some at one end then go straight to the other end and back fill along the line. The sheep are too busy trying to catch up to get in my way then. Mine BWM won't eat rolls, they are too big for them.
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We are not big feeders here, and maybe that's why the sheep aren't picky. I can't say I've ever had a ewe turn her nose up at a ewe roll! Even the Lleyn ewe lambs or Charmoise they'd kill for feed seem to manage rolls ok, maybe its a BWM thing or do other people find their sheep wont eat them?
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Bought a bag of rolls last year - the Shetlands turned their noses up and the GFD tended to cough/choke on them. Won't be buying them again. Our ground is so muddy IMO feeding on the ground is a waste of food and money, so it's lots of trough space and a quick run for me ;D (not that mine get much hard feed until lambing). They have ad lib hay and mineral and feed blocks though.
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I do it like that too; dump some at one end then go straight to the other end and back fill along the line. The sheep are too busy trying to catch up to get in my way then. Mine BWM won't eat rolls, they are too big for them.
Me too. I always feed in a line. Works a litle better if there's some sort of screen between the troughs or racks.
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I don't have this problem as mine just get hay I also chuck a couple of large fodder beats that I get for the pigs an mine look the best they ever have :-)
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Im Sure I can create a pen with hurdles or something . Good idea!
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I used troughs when I had 30 ewes to feed, I used to put a few nuts in the first trough and then whilst they were arguing, I would run to the furthest trough and drop the nuts in as I walked back towards the bemused ewes. I was younger then, now I only have a few sheep and fill a trough inside then let them in !! :roflanim:
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I fed rolls on the ground for many years but got fed up of ewes temporarily choking on them that I moved on to pencils and the clean up rate is just the same 100% and much much less choking . I have 2 lots with troughs 120 and 140 and a one point I was feeding 460 in 1lot on the ground and all I would say is once you start feeding NEVER stand still and be willing to go round the odd sheep .
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I don't have too much trouble with my girls stampeding.. they all know their place at the feeding bench ( made from 2 scaffold boards) However I've only got 4 sheep!
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Troughs in a line for sure and run from one end to the other tipping feed as you go, keeping ahead of the sheep.
It doesn't always work though :(
I have got a batch of 75 due to start on cake in the next week or so - when you have got feed for that many in a sack on your shoulder, you can't run very fast. I just have to accept that I will spend some time in the floor!