Author Topic: Running out of grass (Read 3978 times)

Declan · « **on:** October 16, 2009, 11:23:39 pm »

Just wondering- I will soon be running out of grass for my 3 Zwartable ewe lambs. IN order to get them to trust me I've been enticing them closer with a little lamb pellets- i think it is "intensive finishing" pellets. They have bee ngetting a good handful each every day and its has worked very well for getting them to come up to me.

Once the grass gets into more short supply what should i be giving my lambs- and how much should they get per day.
Any help would be greatly appreciated including names etc..

Thanks in advance!!

woollyval · « **Reply #1 on:** October 16, 2009, 11:55:55 pm »

If you are running short of grass for 3 lambs why are you keeping them on? Try and find some spare grazing....put out some feelers and ask around or put up an ad in the local post office/shop.

If they are for meat feed them, finish them and then get them relocated to the freezer! If for breeding, find more grazing!!!

lindy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2009, 05:03:42 pm »

Hello Declan,
I have a few Zwartbles and think they are smashing sheep.
Are you starting a small breeding flock? How much land do you have available for them?
If not in lamb then a handful of ewe nuts each plus plenty of hay should be okay this winter. You will find they grow into big girls and as they usually have twins you will need to give them quite a lot of concentrates in the latter stages of pregnancy and when the lambs are young.
Have you got a good book on sheep? If not it is worth getting one, as it is difficult to give a full answer about feeding on a forum. It is not that simple! There are a couple available on Amazon.
As Woolly Shepherd says if grazing is limited start looking round for more - Zwartbles have big appetites.

Declan · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2009, 06:01:03 pm »

Thanks lindy.
I got three for starters. I have a little over an acre at the back of my house. I ploughed and resowed it about 3 years ago after i built my house. A local farmer had a few calves on it for the past 2 years but this year he put 2 cows on it for a while. Between bad weather and the size of the animal it was left quite trampled. Ther eis no other access ot the land except along my newly tarred driveway. I thought that having a few sheep might maintain the ground and give me a bit of a past-time. Its by no means a commercial venture- just something to have an interest in after work.

The thing is that there is 5 acres coming up for sale right beside me and I am going to try my best to get it although prices are still up around £10-£12k per acre over here (Rathfriland, Co.Down) Still it runs along my boundary and has access to the public road so it might be worth it.
My idea is that if I get them through the winter and learn a little bit more about keeping them then the lady i got them from said that i could breed them next autumn if i wanted to. She would loan me a ram. Then running short of grass won't be a problem. I still have grass for them but was just wondering what to do if the grass runs low- so thanks for your advice.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2009, 07:03:40 pm »

thats eye watering. buy a few bales of hay in. at most it should be only a couple of grand per acre. what is it being used for.

lindy · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2009, 08:14:37 am »

Hi Declan
It would be great if you could buy more land.
An acre is not that much if you want to breed - if all the ewes had twins that would be nine sheep - rather tight on that amount of land.
You could start asking around about any grazing to let. You could put some notices up in local shops and agricultural merchants for "Grazing Wanted".
You have a year to sort something out before putting your ewes to a ram, but even if you decide breeding them is not viable in the end, I am sure you will enjoy having your three ewes.
Zwartbles can become very tame if you feed them a little each day and spend a bit of time in their field with them.
Our two wethers love having a walk round their paddock with us and one actually asks to be scrathched by kicking you with his foot.

Di · « **Reply #6 on:** October 18, 2009, 01:08:23 pm »

Any land next door to your property is worth far more to you than anyone else. If you have any chance of buying it I would go for it. We bought 6 acres of land 18 years ago which was about 1 mile from our house and have travelled backwards and forwards every since. Earlier this year we managed to buy the house next to our land!! We have been here 8 months now and although the house was a semil ex Council house and needed modernisation (compared to the 4 bed detached we left) we feel we are in heaven.

Good luck if you get the land you won't stop at sheep!

Di

Declan · « **Reply #7 on:** October 18, 2009, 01:35:05 pm »

Shetland paul- i know- the cost is ridiculous. Its only grazing ground and hasn't even been all that well maintained. The thing is its right along side my own property so It would be ideal.
The bank is selling it after our neighbour had his property repossessed- it should be coming onto the market in a few weeks so i suppose time will tell.