[Stanlamb]

We have a few early lambers and all are continuing to get fed 2lb of ewe and lamb blend per day.  They're out on grass all day then in for their feed at night.  Is this okay to be feeding them?  I'm working on the basis that as the lambs need and eat more of the meal, the ewes will need less as they're not the lamb's sole source of nutrition.  Lambs and ewes both look well.  The oldest lambs of the bunch were born early December (one set of twins), then there's a gap of about 5 weeks to the rest which are between 2 days and 4 weeks old.

So, questions are - do they need hay?  They've been supplemented with haylege the last few days but I'm not convinced they need this?  Also, how long should we keep feeding ewes and lambs for?  Should we withdraw feed from the ewes after x period of time and just feed the lambs?  If so, how much would the lambs need?

Thanks

[colliewoman]

I feed to condition, not to the calendar
I would probably still be feeding now if that is what you have been doing as the grass isn't nutritious yet. Again if you have been feeding haylege  I would carry on. I think long fiber is hugely important for any herbivore and again the grass right now is poo. Certainly they need it if yarded by night with no access to even poor grass.
The later lambs are drinking plenty of milk by now, you don't want to make your ewes dry up unintentionally.


I probably do mine too well, certainly I am told I spoil my sheep too much by the local farmers here but then I haven't been carting dead sheep all winter

[Stanlamb]

Thank you!  Don't worry though, I promise I'm not thinking of withdrawing meal for a good while yet!  . I suspect we have, in e past, fed them for too long - thinking of January lambers fed up until the beginning of May!  Long story, but I didn't know they were being fed haylege although it's been for less than a week.  They could probably stay out at night in another couple of weeks if it stays this mild.

As a matter of educating me (!), at what stage do you stop feeding the ewes - April time or earlier if growth on grass or until the lambs are a certain age?

Thanks

[colliewoman]

hmmmm tricky one cos I don't lamb till May so they don't get fed for many days after lambing IF the grass is good.
I will let someone else answer that one for you

[SallyintNorth]

There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.

They need protein to make milk, and there isn't much sustenance in the grass yet, and this year there probably isn't a great deal in last year's hay / haylage, either 

On good grazing - once the spring grass really kicks in - fit ewes with a single lamb should be fine without cake.  Some years, fit twin mums will be too, depending on breed of mother and lambs.  Other years - and this is probably one of them - most will do better with a little cake.

On the hay front, generally sheep prefer good grass to hay, so should stop taking the hay when the grass is good enough.  If they're queueing up, shouting and climbing over each other to get the hay when you bring it, they still need it.

If you set up a creep area for the lambs, you can probably withdraw cake from the mothers as the lambs start to eat significant quantities of creep feed - provided the grass is there for them.

[Marches Farmer]

I agree with Sally - there's no one-size-fits-all answer.  I don't think the grass will be worth much until it's had a good two or three weeks' dry weather towards the end of March.  I don't mind my ewes "milking off their backs" for a couple of weeks but this is an exceptional year and I'd be inclined to feed them a bit until the lambs spend more time nibbling grass than they do suckling.