[Stanlamb]

Hi

Can someone give me some guidance on how much hay per day for 10 ewes within a month of lambing who are each being fed 2lb of a ewe and lamb mix per day?  Just wondering what proportion of a small hay bale they would need.  Thanks

[horlicks]

 I, d try them with half a bale a day (bit more or less depending on size/breed and how many lambs their  carrying) .  If the hays good and they waste some of it cut back or if being cleared give them more.

[Stanlamb]

Thanks Horlicks.  I've just been having a read of older posts and plan to go and buy one or two hanging hay racks on Monday.  The amount of silage wasted on the floor last year was unbelievable but we cut and bale our own so I didn't feel the sting as badly as I will if that much hay is wasted at £3.50 a bale!

[Azzdodd]

I bought a big bale mine have hardly touched it still plenty off grass on ground here

[lachlanandmarcus]

Ours have little grass now and have been piling into big bales of hay. One big bale is lasting 16 Shetlands, 6 Herdwicks and 3 HerdiexRyelands a week.

[shep53]

May I ask why with a month still to go are you feeding 2ib per day of mix  ( high protein  ?  )        small bale of hay approx. 20kg  medium sized ewe eats  roughly 1kg per day  reducing the nearer to lambing , so your 10 sheep may not even eat half a bale especially if eating the mix as well

[smee2012]

I wish I knew the answer! My four Zwartbles girls are getting through about 1/3 of a small bale a day between them - but would probably like more! They are also getting a handful of ewe nuts each a day (literally, a handful). We don't have much grass at the moment because the ground is so sodden, what grass there was is just getting churned up. They aren't due until mid-april so I won't be ramping up their hard feed yet, they are about a 3 on the conditioning scale

[Marches Farmer]

May I ask why with a month still to go are you feeding 2ib per day of mix  ( high protein  ?  )

Do you know how many lambs they're carrying?  A ewe carrying a single on that amount of mix is likely to have a very big lamb unless she's in fairly poor condition.  I start my singles on 100g twice a day 6 weeks before lambing, increase to 150g per feed at lambing minus three weeks and go up to 250g for the final week.  This is for both Down and Mountain ewes in perfect condition.   I've found this results in robust singles that don't need help at lambing, but that's what works for this particular farm.  We aim to keep them out on reasonable grazing until housing six days before lambing.  We normally only feed hay when it snows and then it's ad hoc.

[Ladygrey]

Owww I think I have budgeted my hay wrong now 

I did it for 2-4 kilos of hay per ewe per day, I have 15 ewes eating a 30 kilo bale a day, Im pretty sure this is right anyway 

Only just started feeding hay, 1 month before lambing they get a lifeline block

[landroverroy]

 As a rough guide, I reckon on 16 medium ewes eating a 25kg (or thereabouts) bale of hay/day.
 However, I agree with Horlicks - give them half a bale to start with and let them finish it before giving them more. If you give them more than  they need they will pick out all the choicest bits and leave the rest to be wasted; as once they've decided to reject it, they will have to be near starving before they will agree to finish it off.    
 By the way, hanging hayracks will result in a lot of waste also, as once it has fallen on the ground the hay will be trampled on and again they will assure you that they cannot possibly eat it.
 The best thing is to have a system where they have to put their heads through to eat the hay. You can acheive this by putting a gate or hurdle upside down, with the hay behind, so they can get their heads through the bottom rail to eat the hay. What they drop then remains behind the barrier  instead of falling at their feet to be trodden on.
 To see what I mean, google "sheep hay feeder" and press images and you should see pics of the sort of thing I'm on about.