[moprabbit]

Since the grass never seems to have stopped growing even over the winter, my 4 year old ewes ( who have not lambed) seem to have just put on weight!!! The grass is growing like mad with all the rain we've had recently. Sorry if this is a silly question but I just wondered on ideas about how to slim them down - all are overweight, but 1 in particular!!!!
Thank you

[suziequeue]

We are having the same problem.

Seven out of eleven of the ewes we sent to the tup last year were empty and they are starting to get fat now. The problem is that we've got more grass than the sheep can eat in the summer so if we restrict the grazing now then the grass will get unmanageable......... but if we don't then the ewes are going to get cast.

Dilemmas dilemmas

[moprabbit]

Hi Suziequeue!
Sorry to hear you've got the same problem!! If anyone gives you any advice, I'd be pleased to hear it!

[Foobar]

Strip grazing so that you can control how much they eat every day?

[suziequeue]

Yes - we tried that last year with sheep netting and they just barged through it.

We would need a good 60m of electric fencing which we can't afford at the minute :-(

[Foobar]

Get more sheep so that they each have less grass?

[Fleecewife]

I'm waiting for winter to put my two Shetland fatties on a diet.  By then there should be no grass and I can keep them separate from the breeders who will get a bit of sheep mix.

[Melmarsh]

I have an overweight sheep and I mean overweight, she is a mixed breed who lambed a twin 2yrs ago and lost one and since then she hasn't held to the top and will now have to be some very fatty mutton !!! She weighed in at 260lbs (old money) which is 117.9kgs if my converter is correct. I have tried to get weight off her but to no avail, I cannot get her into my scales now !!!! So although I have commented on your posting I have no answers !!!!!

[Tim W]

I have the answer but you won't want to hear it!

Overweight, empty sheep = cull

[GeorgieB82]

I have the answer but you won't want to hear it!

Overweight, empty sheep = cull

I'm afraid to say I'm of the same opinion Tim.

[shep53]

Don't see how you can restrict your sheep grazing and keep the grass under control, YOU can control both by confining the sheep on a small area and make hay or silage from the rest .   You can keep the sheep inside a shed or yard and only allow to graze for  few hours each day ,  or cut grass every day and feed this to the sheep .   You could cut and keep cutting the grass as short as a bowling green but a lot of effort  ..         SORRY but the best method is TIMS   sell now while prices are high and buy some new sheep with lambs

[Marches Farmer]

I have the answer but you won't want to hear it!
Overweight, empty sheep = cull

I'm afraid to say I'm of the same opinion Tim.

Me too.  If you must keep them can you get the grass cut for hay then put them on the aftermath grazing and hope for a dry summer so it doesn't grow back?

[Fleecewife]

I have the answer but you won't want to hear it!
Overweight, empty sheep = cull

I'm afraid to say I'm of the same opinion Tim.

Me too.  If you must keep them can you get the grass cut for hay then put them on the aftermath grazing and hope for a dry summer so it doesn't grow back?

Well I don't agree.  Fair enough when your only purpose in keeping sheep is to produce lambs for meat - you have to make a profit and a useless ewe is just that, useless.

However, my two fatties are kept purely for fleece and as they have now given me a couple of wethers to add to the mini fleece flock, plus some ewe lambs to sell, I don't need to breed them again, at least not next year.

We will continue to breed the Hebs for breeding stock and a bit of meat to sell.  I have the luxury of not having to put all of my ewes in lamb every year, so I have no intention of culling the two fatties 

So what suits one sheep breeder doesn't necessarily suit another.

[Marches Farmer]

If they're carrying too much condition is highly unlikely they'll get back in lamb anyway.

[Fleecewife]

If they're carrying too much condition is highly unlikely they'll get back in lamb anyway.

I know, hence the diet over winter, so we have the option to breed them in autumn 2015.