[Young Ed]

wah, i have yet more questions! :p
weaning lambs naturally, do they need any creep feed etc?
we have fairly poor grazing quantity wise and the quality isn't bad but i have seen better, should i just hang a hay net in their even at this time of year?
Cheers Ed

[kelly58]

Dont use hay nets with sheep matey, they are bound to get in trouble with them.

[twizzel]

Depends when you need the lambs gone by, my tame lambs are creep fed up until turnout then start again around this time of year as the best of the grass has gone, but often find that the September growth spurt helps them along, although keep feeding a little to keep them tame. I need mine gone by November though before the winter really sets in...

[Young Ed]

Dont use hay nets with sheep matey, they are bound to get in trouble with them.

what shall i use? a trough?
Cheers Ed

[katie_thorpe]

I use a metal horse hay rack attached to the fence - nobody has got stuck in it yet.

[Foobar]

They are Lleyns yeah?  Then no, they should be fine.

[Bramblecot]

You can buy haybags which are often used in show pens.  Or cut a hole in an old feed sack tied up with baler twine - not pretty but it works

[Young Ed]

They are Lleyns yeah?  Then no, they should be fine.

yes lleyns, are they pretty hard and not too hungry?
as it gets colder and the grass really starts going i will offer hay and a salt lick
Cheers Ed

[Foobar]

Aye.  If you have a salt lick it'd be worth leaving that out all year.  It's good for preventing orf, and their general well being.

[Hellybee]

Lleyns are pretty tough, that's we eve got, when we wean there ll be good grazing, licks and as time goes on they ll be having good hay/haylage too.

[Ideation]

If you have to creep them and feed them hay . . . . . it's going to be a very expensive hobby!

Bit of hay in winter, mineral lick to sort out any deficiencies. . . should be fine.

[in the hills]

I think it depends on what you mean by 'poor grazing quantity wise'.  It depends what you class as 'poor'.
We are in the hills at about 800ft and north facing slopes. Never had to give our Soay lambs any additional feed but they aren't born until the grass is growing well. We start feeding hay about November time and have enough grass until then. This year is very good for grass around here and everyone still has loads on their fields so no-one feeding hay yet. As we go into November the hay is fed ad-lib. All the farmers I know do similar .... whatever breed they have.  I know that farmers lower down near the village do lamb earlier in the year and feed creep  as they wean ... but the grass isn't growing much then.

I think when you start on hay depends on lots of factors eg. breed you keep, quantity and quality of grass and how many sheep per acre.  I can tell by looking at my grass and how the sheep behave that they are getting hungry.