[Cinderhills]

I'm having to ration my sheep with this block as they would get through it so quickly which I can't imagine is too good for them (unless this means they are really lacking something but somehow I think it is more because they love the taste).  So at night I put the lid on then in the morning remove it.

My question is, if I do this is it better for them to have access to it at night or during the day?  Or does it not really matter?

[Rosemary]

I do it the other way round - they have access overnight but that's mainly because they share a field with the ponies who are in at night and who would gobble the lot (to their detriment) if they had access. Overnight access is, of course, longer too.

[dyedinthewool]

I'm having to ration my sheep with this block as they would get through it so quickly which I can't imagine is too good for them (unless this means they are really lacking something but somehow I think it is more because they love the taste).  So at night I put the lid on then in the morning remove it.

My question is, if I do this is it better for them to have access to it at night or during the day?  Or does it not really matter?

I had the SUPAlyx Super Energy Plus with Fish Oil and over Christmas 6 sheep (5 ewes and 1 ram) went through it in just over 14 days!!!
 
My next tub i restricted them to opening it in the morning and evening after their feed - even then at the start I had to let just a couple out of the shed at a time otherwise the Suffolk girls butted the others out of the way, in the end I stood over them - it was surprising how they did get used to me saying "you've had enough let ' name of ewe' have hers" a hand held up and a strong NO 'like that woman that controlled dogs - can't think of her name now!!! in the end it became an orderly line
I think that out of the 5 ewes only 2 are in lamb(sometime end of May) - should they (the 2 inlamb) still be having some lick - like Cinderhills a bit worried about are they lacking in something as they are being gluttons - we don't have much grass but they have hay/haylage and some short feed a mix of sugarbeet/flacked maize/oats/barley/coarse mix (not just ewe nuts)
 

[shep53]

Over xmas when the snow was lying 30 ewes 1block every 3 days then as the weather improved consumption reduced. Normaly i would say if they are keen on the lick its because they are hungry but the licks are of course ment to taste good. IT all depends on how much grass -hay they have,how much hard feed , when due to lamb and MOST IMPORTANT CONDITION SCORE.  May i ask dyeinthewool why you think only 2 ewes are pregnant and not all 5 ?

[Cinderhills]

Thanks Shep.  They are due to lamb end March to beginning of April.  I do give them hay twice a day to fill the hay rack.   Grass is only just starting to come through.  They get one scoop (about 500g) of cake in morning and three scoops at the moment in the evening which I will increase gradually over the next few weeks.  This is between 3 ewes and a ram.  I find it hard to condition score however from what I can feel they are about right.   Our ram is harder to do as he has such a thick coat (Ryeland).

[shep53]

Sounds perfect CINDERHILLS dont forget the crystalix is also providing protein as well as energy.Condition scoreing is only a matter of practise.

[cooper956]

our jacobs love the blocks to but far too expencive letting them have them all the time now on plenty of corn for lambing and lick bucket now and then when feeding corn they last a bit longer

[dyedinthewool]

Over xmas when the snow was lying 30 ewes 1block every 3 days then as the weather improved consumption reduced. Normaly i would say if they are keen on the lick its because they are hungry but the licks are of course ment to taste good. IT all depends on how much grass -hay they have,how much hard feed , when due to lamb and MOST IMPORTANT CONDITION SCORE.  May i ask dyeinthewool why you think only 2 ewes are pregnant and not all 5 ?

Bit of a long story!! with only 5 ewes didn't really want to go to the expense of buying a ram - a drover in the local mart (also local to me) said not to worry - he would lend me one - ram finally came in late Nov - lovely 'old' boy but while his brain was willing his body wasn't so good (bit like me ) he couldn't keep up with the girls - he covered 3 (1 had had twin lambs with her when we got her - 2 were first timers) we weren't sure if he had covered the other 2 -sniffed round but didn't see him do the deed.  He then covered the 3 again - by that time we had grated down some crayon mixed with vasiline and put on his chest - still nothing with the other 2.  Got the drover guy to come and get the ram - he brought me a Ram lamb and said try him (30th Jan) He has covered 1 (suffolk) of the first 3 plus 1 (the other suffolk) of the others (twice) and the other one a herdwick we are not sure if he has covered her, again haven't seen him do the deed, but she has come into season twice since we got the Ram Lamb (just gone off season yesterday)  the other two are due in this week - so as far as we can determine 2 are in lamb to the old ram due at end of May.
I have 'tried' to work out this 'condition scoring thing'- and I think they are about right - we have 2 suffok crosses, (these are the ones if any that may be top of the score, they are both gluttons)  1 herdwick, 1 Black Welsh (I think) and 1 not sure what she is (liver coloured face - shaggy fleece, some sort of 'rarebreed'?
Sorry a bit of a saga
They were getting about 6oz of mixed straight grains - mostly sugarbeet - twice a day - a small double handful (my size not OH's)- due to the lack of grass - with hay/haylage adlib - grass now growing a bit so  hard feed cut down a bit, still adlib hay.

[shep53]

wow a real saga maybe you should give back the ram lamb or you might have lambs in july . Feeding sounds fine once the grass comes  just be careful they dont get too fat or the lambs can get too big. Watch for blowfly on blood stained tails and umbilical cords when lambing late may/june

[Anke]

What is it about Suffolks and Suffolk Xs? I have one and boy is she bolshy! She even has a very distinctive baaahhhinh sound! Always first at the through and everyxbody else is butted out of the way!

[humphreymctush]

I used to use mineral buckets a lot but I became suspisious that they were causing premature wear in the sheep's incisors, so I stopped using them. I would be interested to hear what anyone thinks about this.

[andywalt]

I was only thinking the other day when I put a new bucket out, the way they attack it with there teath I was thinking whether it would cause any damage the way they were biting at it.....

[dyedinthewool]

wow a real saga maybe you should give back the ram lamb or you might have lambs in july . Feeding sounds fine once the grass comes  just be careful they dont get too fat or the lambs can get too big. Watch for blowfly on blood stained tails and umbilical cords when lambing late may/june

  I've given up with the Suffolk girls - 1 was definitely in season yesterday as she was all 'come and get me' to the ram and he duly complied AGAIN

Anyone got an idea of WHY these 2 haven't taken - I bought them as shearlings - but think they may have been 'molly' lambs  (orphan handreared) could that have made any difference - think I've read somewhere that handreared lambs if over done feed wise as baby lambs can be infertile??

 Now have to make my mind up do I keep them and try again - send them back to the Mart - or put them in the freezer...
Ram Lamb lovely though he is - is going home on Sunday.

Will make sure I start tupping a lot earlier next time

[/quote]

What is it about Suffolks and Suffolk Xs? I have one and boy is she bolshy! She even has a very distinctive baaahhhinh sound! Always first at the through and everyxbody else is butted out of the way!

One of mine is very pushy - as above - handreared -is always first to be waiting at the trough but at least the others come running when she does...

[shep53]

have never read or heard of hand reared lambs being infertile,feeding should not have a bearing. I think youve had very bad luck with your rams with hindsight you should have left the old ram in and put the ram lamb in with him the competion tends to liven up an older experianced ram, they tend not to fight as the size of the mature ram is to much for a lamb,I think you have doubts about them now ,so i would say get them to the mart prices are very high and sx sheep if big and fat could make £80 to £100 each then reinvest in new

[princesspiggy]

iv never bought mineral licks for sheep b4, what would recommend for my pregnant gimmers, theyre on poor grazing but fed coarse mix everyday.

our ponies used to have the crystalix tub licks, would be one in days and they even used to roll in and be covered in sticky molasses.