[thesuffolksmallholding]

Anyone got any tips on this?
I've got some lambs I'm going to have to keep to hogget, as they just aren't ready for slaughter and is false economy to push them.
Should I just stick them on some good grass with hay and leave them to it, or will they need a supplement just to keep them going at about condition score 2, then just allow the spring grass to fix this.

[Sbom]

I’d get fec done, worm if needed and if you have good grass they won’t eat/need hay. 99% of mine are finished on grass over winter

[twizzel]

How are you planning on selling them? Private boxes meat, live/deadweight? You say false economy to feed them and get them gone, but if they are going to leave you short of grass for ewes over winter and then eat your grass at lambing, you’d be better putting them in the store ring at market or feeding to finish and get them gone ?

[bj_cardiff]

I'd give them a mineral bucket and leave them to it. No point feeding hay if the grass is good, I'd give them ad-lib hay if the grass runs out

[Fleecewife]

What breed are they?  If they are a primitive then they won't put on any condition through the worst of the winter, but they should be better than cond score 2 at this time of year, heading into the bad weather, whatever breed they are. You might accept a cond score of 2 in older ewes at the end if lambing, but not hoggs at the end of summer. I agree with the FEC and worming in case that's the problem. If it's not, then please discuss the situation with your vet to sort it before the animals are stressed by the winter.  Given their low condition score I would feed them hay over the winter - if they eat it they need it, if they don't then they don't need it.  Definitely feed hay if you have heavy snow.  We always have winter snow so we offer adlib hay from about Nov but we are in Scotland and high.  I think your decision whether or not to feed hay, depends very much on your own specific smallholding conditions, grass availability and stocking rate.  Those factors vary from farm to farm as well as from north to south, west to east plus altitude and soil type, rainfall etc.  I would expect Suffolk (I assume that's where you are) to be fairly easy ground unless we have another severe or very wet winter.  Other's actions on their own land and conditions don't necessarily accord with yours.
If your animals are not primitives, then cond score 2 is a real problem, so please do consult your vet for a workup.

[SallyintNorth]

Grass where I farm (previously Cumbria, now North Cornwall) has very little nutritional value from around New Year onwards, so hay is usually welcome from after Christmas, but they don’t need a huge amount to keep them ticking over until the spring grass starts to come.  They finish pretty quickly then.

In a good year some may be ready to send off before the spring grass comes, in a bad year they need hay from earlier in December onwards.

But if you’re in Suffolk you should have better grass and a shorter winter than me.

What breed / type are they?

x-posted with Fleecewife

[bj_cardiff]

they should be better than cond score 2 at this time of year, heading into the bad weather, whatever breed they are. You might accept a cond score of 2 in older ewes at the end if lambing, but not hoggs at the end of summer.

The way I read the post was that the OP was happy with their condition at the moment and was asking if we thought they would need supplementary feeding over the winter to keep them at a condition score of 2 - until the spring grass came through.

[Backinwellies]

Just grass and mineral bucket will be fine (hay offered if grass runs out or if snows/ exceptionally cold.) .   But only worth doing if you have enough excess grass …. otherwise sell as stores.

[Buttermilk]

Fluke is another reason sheep fail to put on weight, if your land has become wet after a dry spell the mud snails may be having a party.
If your sheep start to drop condition and you are feeding them then get them checked out for internal parasites.  Otherwise just offer hay and a lick bucket.  They will not eat the hay if they think the grass is better.

[Fleecewife]

they should be better than cond score 2 at this time of year, heading into the bad weather, whatever breed they are. You might accept a cond score of 2 in older ewes at the end if lambing, but not hoggs at the end of summer.

The way I read the post was that the OP was happy with their condition at the moment and was asking if we thought they would need supplementary feeding over the winter to keep them at a condition score of 2 - until the spring grass came through.

My reply is pertinent to the question, as the reply depends on the condition of the hoggs as they go into winter.  If they are under condition then they will need more feeding before the weather turns bad, than if they are at an ideal condition score.  I don't suggest feeding concentrates, but I do think the question needs to be asked why, given they are on good grass, are they not in better condition at the end of summer?  OK I rambled a bit 

[thesuffolksmallholding]

It has been a rubbish summer as most members would have experienced with very little grass. I had to wean them off the ewes early as I was bringing forward my cross lambing inline with my pedigrees, so they needed time to put of condition before going to the tup again.
I think I'm just going to put them up on a field with good grass and leave them to it. Like a lot of people said, if the grass runs out I'll give them hay.

I have older lambs (replacements) in perfect condition within the same group so I can't see worms are a problem.
I will separate the two lots out so I can manage them a bit better, as the replacements ewe hogs need a bit of grub to grow them on well, whereas from the replies people think the stores won't need any (false economy).

Thanks for your replies everyone.

[SallyintNorth]

I’m a tad confused as to why you would ask a question to which it later transpired you clearly think you already know the answer, and then belittle people who’ve generously given of their time and expertise to answer you, whose advice differs from your own pre-existing position.

You were asked up thread what breed we were talking about, which thus far you have not designed to answer.  It will have a bearing on the advice.

[thesuffolksmallholding]

I was perfectly civil in my reply. I just wanted to gain some other opinions as to what to do, nothing wrong with that surely? Thats what the forums designed for.
I was trying to explain why they were a bit under condition.
All I wanted to know was how best to manage them. I appreciate everyones advice, I said so in in my previous post.