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Author Topic: Creep feed - yes or no?  (Read 4614 times)

Liz Kershaw

  • Joined Aug 2014
Creep feed - yes or no?
« on: May 17, 2016, 03:40:12 pm »
I have a hobby flock of Ryelands - my new additions are twin ram lambs (now 3 weeks old and robust) and a ewe lamb of 6 days (also doing well). If the ram lambs look good prospects (they have a good pedigree) I will try and sell them as tups - if not, I will get the vet to wether them at 8 weeks or so and keep them to add to our lawnmower collection. The ewe lamb will stay with us anyway. Obviously, I don't need to fatten them for slaughter sale so should I creep feed to get their rumens used to dry food etc or just leave them to go from mum to grass? We have plenty of grass now and mum seems to have plenty of milk for her greedy pair. If the advice is to creep feed regardless of their ultimate destination, when should I start?

Thanks - my sheep knowledge is growing daily ...

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2016, 03:48:05 pm »
You should do a poll :)


No, better not to IMHO.  You want to breed sheep that can do well off milk & grass alone.

Sbom

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Staffordshire
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2016, 04:10:07 pm »
Nope, as stated already sheep should be bred to do well off grass alone...and generally do if given a chance.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2016, 05:42:09 pm »
Ryelands and other Down breeds shouldn't need creep feed if the ewe has enough milk.  Only those I know of destined for showing get more than milk and grass.

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2016, 09:53:22 am »
Only those I know of destined for showing get more than milk and grass.
...but shouldn't! :)

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2016, 10:11:48 am »
If it ain't broke, don't fix it  :innocent:

Jullienne

  • Joined Apr 2016
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2016, 10:59:58 am »
if there is plenty of grass I would leave him to grow naturally, they grow quite big on grass and are very healthy into the bargain too. All my ram lambs I sell as breeders get nothing but mums milk and grass and they shoot up like the dickins. This is my own opinion though not law :roflanim:
boast not yourself of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. proverbs 27 verses 1-2.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2016, 12:26:03 pm »
Only those I know of destined for showing get more than milk and grass.
...but shouldn't! :)
Once met a chap who specialised in ram sales - his had additional feed for nine of the 15 months before they were sold. 

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2016, 01:54:31 pm »
Only those I know of destined for showing get more than milk and grass.
...but shouldn't! :)
Once met a chap who specialised in ram sales - his had additional feed for nine of the 15 months before they were sold.
:(.  And when you get your shiny new ram home from the sales it falls to pieces in the first winter.

trish.farm

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • hampshire
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2016, 04:36:49 pm »
Never fed creep feed to lambs, only orphan lambs.  Lambs on their mums can eat grass and continue to eat grass when weaned from mum.  Reared a fantastic ram once using this method who was a credit to me. 

Liz Kershaw

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Creep feed - yes or no?
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2016, 06:00:59 pm »
Thanks for all these replies, so helpful. From what I have read, it sounds like if you want a decent healthy robust animal that's destined to live longer than slaughter age, creep feeding does more harm than good (and not just to the purse). Lambs still growing well at the moment.


 

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