Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: should i feed my in lamb ewes  (Read 6865 times)

shrekfeet

  • Joined Sep 2008
should i feed my in lamb ewes
« on: February 10, 2013, 08:18:55 am »
last year i had some difficult births and huge lambs. i think the had too much to eat. i only have 4 lambing ewes and in the winter they go out to tidy up around where the cows have been all summer so they have plenty of grass. i brought them home yesterday as they are six weeks to lambing. strictly speaking thry should start on half a kilo of ewe nuts a day. however it has not been a very harsh winter so they are in good condition. they also have one of those in-lamb ewe buckets. you now the stuff, molasses based and full of goodness. what do you think. if i supplement with nuts am i running the risk of huge lambs again?

lachlanandmarcus

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2013, 08:26:22 am »
Yes! I would stick to the lick bucket and hay if they are in good to fat condition. Only if there was an oldie that wasnt such a good doer would I feed nuts in the scenario you describe. What breed are they?

thenovice

  • Joined Oct 2011
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2013, 03:15:08 pm »
I agree with the above. I had big lambs and a prolapse (not me personally) because of too much feed i think. Feed buckets are very good, and the ewes can help themselves

MarvinH

  • Joined Oct 2011
  • England
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2013, 10:14:42 pm »
Im thinking starting at 1/2 kg of nuts a day with 6 weeks to go is a bit of over feeding.
Sheep

SheepCrazy!

  • Joined Nov 2012
  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • www.hawthornsoaysandjacobs.co.uk
    • hawthornsoaysandjacobs
    • Facebook
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2013, 10:56:21 pm »

I'm lambing my Grandmothers pedigree Texels this year and she always feeds to heavily and therefore has plenty of trouble cearars ect. So this year they are only on Supalyx with no extra feed unless there Is snow on the ground and  all are still in good nick with 4weeks to go.  Be weary of hay though as feeding it can cause proapses in breeds like Texels and Beltex as it bulks the ewes out to much and causes pressure on the organs.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2013, 09:55:09 am »
I start my pregnant ewes on just 50g per feed twice a day 7 weeks before lambing, to avoid acidosis due to rumen problems that can be caused by new feed.  I work up to 100g per feed by week 6 pre lambing then split them into two groups after their clostridial vaccination and increase in  weekly increments until the singles are getting 250g and doubles 400g per feed twice a day, all with ad lib good quality hay and grazing.  Thin single bearers are fed as twin bearers, and fat doubles as singles.  It's a balancing act, of course, but I want good sized everything and no stuck lambs.

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2013, 03:29:52 pm »
...and we all know what I'm going to say, don't we?  :P

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2013, 08:05:06 pm »
Go on, you know you're dying to .......

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2013, 11:31:16 pm »
If they are in good nick, don't feed em anything! (unless you like pulling big lambs)


There. That felt better.  :P

feldar

  • Joined Apr 2011
  • lymington hampshire
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2013, 08:38:45 am »
I would always have out decent lick buckets especially on my poor ground. But our late lambing flock just get that and grass. :sheep:

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2013, 10:55:58 am »
Mine are getting about a bale of hay a day and a bucket of feed between them and have a mineral bucket. There isn't much grass but they still seem in pretty good nick. Just doing it so they are tame really. I have 17 and a pony and they all share. Always worried I'm under feeding them but after these comments I will carry on as I am. X

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2013, 01:47:40 pm »
I think one of the problems this year has been that the mineral content of the grazing is very low as everything's so diluted with the rain (including me, at times!)  Many of our neighbours have lost tups recently and were quite surprised when I said I still had all 13 of mine - I did wonder if having mineral licks out for all the stock since the Autumn has helped.

ShaunP

  • Joined Dec 2009
    • Timber Chalets and Lodges
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2013, 02:00:50 pm »
If they are in good nick, don't feed em anything! (unless you like pulling big lambs)
There. That felt better.  :P

Steve

I am trying to produce as much meat as I can that is only grass fed.

What do you do as 'routine' regards jabs and worming?


I have only got 6 Charolais in lamb this year. I also have Shropshires and Wilts Horn that will be breed off next year and want to try to keep as low input as possible

Shaun

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2013, 10:25:34 pm »
To be honest - if you are going to keep the charollais pure, you'll have a job. They aren't known for being milky.


The wilts should be fine though - give them plenty of grass to go at  - I stock 3/ac in summer and 1.5/ac in winter. I do give a hard mineral block. I worm to FECs done every 8 weeks or as soon as I see a stop in growth rate/scouring.


You have to use your judgement - if they are compromised you will need to give a lick or something, but try to make it the exception rather than the rule.


So; you need the right maternal breed - Wilys, Easycare, Lleyn, Romney all work well, I'm sure there are others - I hear Gotlands are pretty milky, for example.


Try to make use of natural abundances in food. I aim to lamb when the grass comes in in earnest so round here April time (its March most years when it comes in, but I dont want to take the chance of a cold spring).


Cull for any problems, no second chances. Cull ewes make decent money and you can replace with genetics out of a better ewe.


Aim to get rid of everything by the back end, unless you have more keep than your ewes need over winter.

ShaunP

  • Joined Dec 2009
    • Timber Chalets and Lodges
Re: should i feed my in lamb ewes
« Reply #14 on: February 16, 2013, 01:06:47 pm »
Steve

Thanks for that.
I will be looking closely at how much grazing I have over winter to see how that effects my stocking level as this year will be a transistion for me. With the exception of one pet Charollais the rest of them will go this year so I can concentrate on the Wilts and the Shropshires.
I note what you say about lambing later as I would normally lamb during March as I have always borrowed a Ram that had to be back for Nov 5th.


 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS