[Oopsiboughtasheep]

I have 6 sheep (pets/mowers) not for breeding. This winter, I put them in a bigger paddock with the horses once the grass had 'gone off' thinking that they would have plenty of grass but there wouldn't be goodness in it, but they have still got fat CS 4-4.5) which I feel very bad about, especially as Spring is just  around the corner. This is only my 3rd winter with sheep but I am learning that mine are all very good doers. Yesterday,  I moved them into another paddock which is very very short (having had donkeys on it, who are also very good doers)

My questions to you experienced sheep keepers is, if I keep them on this very short grass do I have to give them anything extra in the way of extra 'bulk' for their rumen to work properly and to keep their gut healthy? Or is just very short grass perfectly OK for them? My donkeys have to have access to barley straw for this reason, should I give this to the sheep also or will this make sheep fatter? Is there anything 'no/low calorie' that I can give the sheep to browse for extra interest or not really?

Before anyone suggests it, culling isn't an option that I want to consider for these sheep, I just want to learn from my mistake and how to manage the girls better for the future.

Thankyou in advance for you help.

[regen]

Sheep are designed to breed and to have at least one lamb every year. If this happens then they are less likely to get fat just on grass because so much nutrient goes into the lamb both before and after it is born.

The only other way would to be to keep them on limited grazing all the time i.e. restrict the acreage.

Regen

[Womble]

Genuine question: If they're not going to be bred from, why does it matter if they get a little rotund?

[twizzel]

Genuine question: If they're not going to be bred from, why does it matter if they get a little rotund?

Getting stuck on their backs, exacerbated feet problems carrying extra weight?

[Marches Farmer]

Breed can be a factor as well.  Down sheep not bred from could probably get fat on fresh air.  Mountain breeds much less likely. 

[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Sheep are designed to breed and to have at least one lamb every year. If this happens then they are less likely to get fat just on grass because so much nutrient goes into the lamb both before and after it is born.

The only other way would to be to keep them on limited grazing all the time i.e. restrict the acreage.

Regen

Thankyou Regen. I too am designed to have an offspring every year but despite having never done so, I still only weigh 81/2 stone!  and I eat far too much chocolate! I understand your point about energy requirements tho' and  I'm grateful for the advice about strip grazing and will give that a go once I have got some weight off the girls. Like Womble, I don't mind if they get a bit 'curvy' (3+?) but don't want them fat for the reasons that Twizzel has stated.

My main concern while trying to get the weight off them is whether or not I need to give some fibrous bulk to them for their digestive systems to work properly (like I have to do with my equines but maybe not my sheep?). I realise that this might seem like a stupid question to the knowledgeable but I don't want to not ask the question now and then find out later on that I should have done.

MF - 2 are Zwartbles, 2 are Texel x Ryeland (these 4 are fat) and the other 2 are still growing, so not as bad at all.

[twizzel]

I think they would be fine out on sparser fields, just hay if it's frosty. They will graze and keep moving that way. The spring grass will be coming soon so I would keep them on short grass for a while.

[landroverroy]

 I personally, as I keep donkeys and sheep, would give them barley straw as well to fill them up. They will not get fat on it as they don't have such an efficient digestive system as donkeys, but it will stop them being hungry.
 Yes you can keep them on sparce grass only in order to lose weight. But that way they will always be hungry and will not only scalp your grass but also wear it down completely as they constantly move about in search for food.
 How much better for them to at least have a full and functioning rumen rather than continually hungry, and hopefully lose a bit of weight again before spring. 

[moprabbit]

I was very interested to read this thread as I have asked the same question sometime ago! I've also got 4 pet sheep that are very rotund! I don't breed from them either. Mine have only to look at a blade of grass to put weight on and in fact I've not yet found a way to slim them down, but I like Landroverroy''s suggestion of straw to fill them up rather than keeping them on a small piece of grass which would end up getting trashed. Good luck - please let me know how it goes!

[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Many thanks for all your replies. I'm feeling much more confident about what best to do for them now. The girls tucked into the barley straw Landroverroy, so I am pleased to know that they will be on a diet but without being hungry all the time. I have put the donkeys in with them (they have always been side by side anyway) so they all keep moving round the field, which will help with some exercise for the sheep.
I wonder how long it will take to get them down to CS3?!!

[Foobar]

Buy more sheep?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Buy more sheep?

Excellent Idea [member=24813]Foobar[/member]  If anyone is interested I will be selling some ewe lambs off this summer, really nice ones too.