The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: JosieJoe on October 16, 2016, 07:28:42 pm
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Hello everyone, newbie lamb owner here. We have 6 month old coloured rylands who are very sweet - come happily to a bucket and for a scratch. I have tried looking on line but can't find an exact answer. I know they mustn't have copper but is it ok to use high fibre horse cubes as a treat? The online feed analysis doesn't say anymore that 'vitamins and minerals' so I don't know how much if any copper it contains. I also have pygmy goats who have their own mix as a treat - mainly fruit and veg I think - but they will help themselves to any left over horse feed, like the lambs too. However, I understand it's ok for goats to have copper. Any advice? Many thanks all.
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for our sheep any sort of cake is a treat.... but I've heard that digestive biscuits are a big hit!
also, sometimes getting some other foliage is a huge treat.... off cuts of willow or apple tree leaves....
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whatever mix you have in your bucket that they come too is a treat ... why do you need anything else?
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I know you mustn't let sheep get at the Rockies mineral licks that horses have, so I would say absolutely not to let them have access to the horse pellets.
As you are now registered with Animal Health you must also make yourself aware of all the legislation pertaining to the keeping of sheep and goats, which includes keeping the feedstuffs for each species completely separate in sealed bins with no possibility of cross-contamination. Same applies with chickens, I think - anything which might end up in the human food chain.
Simplest answer is to get an all-purpose stock blend that is safe for all cattle, sheep, pigs and ponies. Do check that it is specifically ok for male sheep too, though, as if not it could cause urinary calculi in any male sheep you have.
I'm going to try to get some grass pellets that all mine can then eat, but I haven't started to look for any yet,
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Digestives and doughnuts (no sugar!) but only half a biscuit per lamb or a quarter of a doughnut. They also like bread.
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I keep the contents ticket from each new delivery of feed. I generally have a sack of coarse mix around, as a sheep has to be pretty far gone not to polish off a handful. A chopped up apple, leaves from ash, apple, pear, beech, blackthorn .....
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Oat cakes are our goats' treat - even the crackling of the cellophane wrapping brings them racing to you....
The sheep just have sheep mix...
If you are struggling to have two different kinds of feed sacks - your goats will be happy to eat the sheep mix (or any general stock mix), and are fine as long as you have a Red Rockie in their pen, non-accessible to the sheep.
Unless you have high-yielding dairy goats it is - IMO - completely unnecessary to feed a specialised goat mix, these are often far more expensive than sheep or general stock mixes....
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We occasionally give ours alfalfa pellets, which we soak briefly first, to keep them bucket tame for when we need to get them in. They also love being given a big leafy branch from a tree to nibble on and play with. One of our tups absolutely loves foliage. I think it's quite good for them as well. I should add that ours very rarely get anything that isn't growing. We have Coloured Ryelands and they seem to do really well off grass but can be a bit prone to porking up if given a lot of concentrates.
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Yep, oatcakes hit the spot for my girls.
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Yep, oatcakes hit the spot for my girls.
Must be a Scottish thing....
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I have had some brilliant advice from this forum over the past 2 yrs since getting a few (pet) sheep. One of the first and most brilliant was 'use digestive biscuits as a treat'. I can move the girls anywhere, anytime for anything with one digestive! Floss, one of the Zwartbles, walks to heel better than my dogs and will turn full left or right circles (also to heel). She will do all of this at a walk, trot and run. It's hilarious.....might enter her in BGT! The 'sit' is obviously not going too well ;) but their 'recall' is fab! I only use one a day between the 6 of them, usually in the evenings, they love them.
My neighbours love to watch it but my friends think I should get out more! :roflanim:
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I think that's just a Zwartbles thing Oops, or perhaps it's big girl = big appetite! Most of our Zs will follow us around the field even without any bribery. Our wee pet lamb Dinky even freaked out the neighbour's sheep dog by trying to lick it through the fence one time. Floss just looked up at his owner as if to say "what the hell is wrong with this one?" ;D
I also overheard a couple of old farmers talking at the Zwartbles auction last year, and one said to the other "I just don't get it Jim. If ye want a great big woolly dug, why don't ye get yersel' a f***ing poodle?" :roflanim:
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sheep nuts maybe?
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Sugar beet nuts or shreds would be a better choice - you may have those for your horses anyway?
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I knew someone who would feed her favourite sheep warm porridge every day! The sheep would wait by the gate for her evening treat every day! Porridge is cheap although I'm not sure how healthy!
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Someone once asked me how did I get goats to eat porridge.
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So, is it Ok to feed sheep warm porridge ! :sheep:
Made with water no sugar was it ?
Healthy option ????
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Been told we may have -10 this winter so will root my big pan out !
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If you are struggling to have two different kinds of feed sacks - your goats will be happy to eat the sheep mix (or any general stock mix), and are fine as long as you have a Red Rockie in their pen, non-accessible to the sheep.
Can you be more specific about red Rockie please..... there are so many mineral blocks to chose from
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Can you be more specific about red Rockie please..... there are so many mineral blocks to chose from
It does say on their website which Rockies are for which species: http://www.rockies.co.uk/products/agricultural-range/ (http://www.rockies.co.uk/products/agricultural-range/)
Another salt lick which has high mineral contents is Red Rock Salt, which is literally lumps of rock salt. It is probably way cheaper than Rockies, as you can buy it in 25kg bags (don't buy the salt on a rope that is designed for horses as they are way overpriced): http://www.redrocksalt.co.uk/ (http://www.redrocksalt.co.uk/)
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Can you be more specific about red Rockie please..... there are so many mineral blocks to chose from
It does say on their website which Rockies are for which species: http://www.rockies.co.uk/products/agricultural-range/ (http://www.rockies.co.uk/products/agricultural-range/)
Another salt lick which has high mineral contents is Red Rock Salt, which is literally lumps of rock salt. It is probably way cheaper than Rockies, as you can buy it in 25kg bags (don't buy the salt on a rope that is designed for horses as they are way overpriced): http://www.redrocksalt.co.uk/ (http://www.redrocksalt.co.uk/)
I couldn't keep a 25kgs sack of salt dry for any length of time. My goats (two or three to a pen) will finish a small Rockie in about a year....
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Yes, I agree, storage could be an issue but I keep my salt lumps in old mineral/feed tubs (with lid) - like Crystalyx/Supalyx etc. Means you can store them outdoors then too.
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Many thanks everyone. I have stopped using pygmy goat mix or horse cubes - thanks for the good advice. I have a yellow Rockie for everyone. So.... I got some grass pellets as it seemed like something the goats, horses and sheep could have now and again. One of the lambs has turned her nose up completely (although they still come to the rattle in the scoop of course) and one of the goats got severe choke. I guess he thought the pellets were super delicious. I was worried that anything refined (digestive biscuits etc) would not be a good idea but may try a very small amount just as a reward. Onwards and upwards with the halter training....