[trefnantbach]

We've just had a dump of over 6 inches of snow so all grass is covered. Started giving them hay outside today. Although they've eaten it, our nine ewes and borowed ram  seem to be hanging around seemingly hoping for more or something better! How much hay should I be feeding them and how often?

[dyedinthewool]

I usually give mine (9 sheep) a couple of flaps in the evening and if it's all gone in the morning another couple. depends on the weather - they don't eat it if they don't need it.  Some in their shed hayrack and some hung up in a haynet outside.  Making sure they can't get their feet hung up in it.
They do get a small feed as well... spoilt sheep

[Rosemary]

I've been putting out 4 x 3kg hay nets a day for our nine ewes. The hay rack is never empty but sometimes close to being so. Last couple of days, they've had grass so not touched the hay. They also have a molassed vitamin and mineral lick.

[woollyval]

Ad lib hay!

[Hermit]

If the sheep eat it then they need it, I agree ad lib, with water to compensate for the drier diet with it.

[Fleecewife]

On average each sheep will eat five small bales of hay over the winter (more this year with the early cold spell).  We feed ours in hay hecks - racks with wheels and a lid which hold one bale in the small type or two bales in the big commercial size.  It's worth having one of the smaller ones if you have more than about 8 or 9 sheep.  They waste less from a heck and spread less in each others fleeces. Hay put on the ground just gets trampled and wasted.   They will take what they need from a hay heck and it's kept dry by the lid until they've eaten the whole bale.

[Rosemary]

We bought one of those wheeled hay racks with  a lid. It's 8 foot long, I think, and I reckon 10 Ryelands could comfortably use it, 5 each side. With hay ad lib, there's not really much pushing and shoving. It was quite expensive but it's been worth the money. They don't waste much, it's easy to move even in pretty horrid conditions and the lid protects the hay. It's also the right height for sheep.

[morri2]

I usually apportion one small bale a day to 10 ewes, slightly less if they are lambs and slightly more if rams. Mine do tend to turn their noses up at it at first, but they soon come round.  I also provide a mineral lick and a small amount of nuts each morning (mine are spoilt too!).  My opinion is that when its seriously cold, like it is now, they need plenty to keep them warm.  Flock losses during the winter will be minimised as a result.  I get annoyed at some local farmers complaining about losing more than a handful of their flock during winter months when they can't be bothered to feed them properly.  Some leave their sheep for days with snow on the ground without feeding them, one the basis (allegedly) that they can go three days without being fed!!!!  Can't do them any good though, and I wonder whether they would feel them same way if it were them (well that's my rant over for the day!).  Plenty of water too - mine go through gallons when being fed dry stuff, nearly as much as the lactating ewes in the spring.  Cheers.

[Anke]

I don't feed ad lib as such, but tend to give a second batch if the first one goes straight away. I find if they leave some of it, it is unlikely to get eaten later, and just gets wet and trampled on if they drop it on the ground. At the moment I tend to give a second batch of straw, on the basis if they are hungry, they will eat that. The ewes are not too impressed, but the lambs polish it off. they also get some ewe mix, seaweed granules and some sugarbeet shreds in the morning.

Hay /haylage is just too precious this year to waste any!

[cooper956]

iv been giveing 20 ewes a bale a day and there will be a little left in the morning in the rack when snow on ground they get 2 ether together in the morning or one in morning and one at night  11 lambs in othert feild get  3 bales in there rack and it can last a week or more just if its gone fill it up however we have some shetlands with no rack there are 8 of them giveing them half a bale on the floor every 2 days as any more and they waste it they do anyway but not as much but thay do have the most grass so ad lib if in racks and just what they eat without waste if on floor

[Castle Farm]

As much as they can eat plus a supplement block. The last thing you need is your ewes losing condition now the bad weather is here. Lose it now and you will have a job putting condition back on before lambing.

[waterhouse]

What supplements do they need and who sells supplement blocks?

[Castle Farm]

Any Agri merchant sell feed blocks. Mine go through 1 a week.

[andywalt]

wow one a week castle farm?  how many ewes do you have, I have 30 and takes them a couple of months for them to finish it off !!

[Cinderhills]

As much as they can eat plus a supplement block. The last thing you need is your ewes losing condition now the bad weather is here. Lose it now and you will have a job putting condition back on before lambing.

I agree.  Last year one of our ewes lost a lot of weight which we think contributed to her aborting her lambs.  Now I am paranoid about it but at the same time don't want to make them too fat.