[SteveHants]

Oh Mallows
 
Whatever you do don't feed em too much! My girls were put to the tups as lambs and have continued to GAIN condition all through pregnancy and feeding. They are starting to shove the lambs away now and are FAT   but other than not letting them eat anything I have no idea how to slim them down!
I would set aside some of your best hay for these young girls, should you be the one to have them at lambing (I would suggest you are as I don't recommend 1st timers for 1st timers if that makes sense?) and just let them have that and grass through the winter. MAYBE a little concentrate in the few weeks up to lambing but probably not.
 
If you need a hand give me a shout

Ewe lambs will gain condition themselves as opposed to passing it to the lamb because of their age - getting the nutrition right is one of the trickier parts of lambing gimmers. I would say from May - Aug sheep shouldn't need anything other than grass, unless they are compromised in some way or stocked very heavily. Most 'mineral licks' have molasses in them and /or soya protien. leave out Rockies if you must, but they really should be able to do on grass in  the summer months. This will save your ewes getting too fat pre tupping. I like mine at condition score 2.5 maximum. IMO 3 is starting to ask for trouble, especially if they end up going a bit over. Similarly rams (in my book) should be no more than CS3 I want them fit, not fat. My stock rams never get routine concentrates (I have, however bucket trained some, because my dog does not yet work, but this is little quantities of beet at random intervals). They may get the best grass post tupping but thats as spoiled as they get.

[SallyintNorth]

Steve's advice sounds fine for good southern ground.    

If you're on a Cumbrian hill farm, you'll either send your ewe lambs away to kinder ground for their first winter or will be feeding them from October onwards if you want them to grow right, so you would definitely need to be putting some cake into pregnant ewe lambs.  You will also need to cake any Blue-faced Leicester tups from 6 weeks before tupping right through tupping and probably for the remainder of the winter afterwards.

So calibrate this sort of advice against your local conditions.  But as Steve says, manage to condition score and you won't go too far wrong.

[Mallows Flock]

I think I need practice on condition scoring. I have seen the picture charts and think i have the hang of it, then when I am IN the field doing it, I am not at all sure. LOL.

[YorkshireLass]

everyone's condition scoring will be different though - you have to remember how they felt to YOU last time. Eblex generally have good picture charts, but it's really a case of prodding 

[colliewoman]

Ewe lambs will gain condition themselves as opposed to passing it to the lamb because of their age - getting the nutrition right is one of the trickier parts of lambing gimmers. I would say from May - Aug sheep shouldn't need anything other than grass, unless they are compromised in some way or stocked very heavily. Most 'mineral licks' have molasses in them and /or soya protien. leave out Rockies if you must, but they really should be able to do on grass in  the summer months. This will save your ewes getting too fat pre tupping. I like mine at condition score 2.5 maximum. IMO 3 is starting to ask for trouble, especially if they end up going a bit over. Similarly rams (in my book) should be no more than CS3 I want them fit, not fat. My stock rams never get routine concentrates (I have, however bucket trained some, because my dog does not yet work, but this is little quantities of beet at random intervals). They may get the best grass post tupping but thats as spoiled as they get.

This is my trouble, they are fat on grass! There are no tubs, no concentrates nothing extra being fed! I can't feed them less than they get without taking them off grazing. Lil porkers
I am hoping now though as the season turns if I make em keep grazing hard then they will come down a bit. I have till the second half of November, cos that's when I plan to put my tup in.

[Mallows Flock]

One of my Charollais x is a fattie.... gets the same as everyone else. This March she lambed 2 big strong lambs... and people kept asking me 'when is she gonna lamb' The others looked quite a bit skinny and sucked in, she looked positively heavily in lamb still. And still soes...just not as badly. Fatty girl! But she is a beautiful curly girlie. Her daughter is taking after her tho... been on nothing but grass and tubby but is looking decidedly round. Her mother looks like a table. her back is almost FLAT! Flat AND fat!