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Author Topic: Reducing condition in obese Hoggets  (Read 2066 times)

Paul and Caroline

  • Joined Apr 2014
Reducing condition in obese Hoggets
« on: July 26, 2017, 11:33:34 am »
Hi

We have 2 of last years Ewe lambs (born April 2016) that we have retained to put to the tup this Autumn. They are very overweight and we are looking at ways of getting some of the excess weight off before tupping. They have not had any supplementary food since last Autumn and have fed purely on pasture. We are trying a strip grazing method to control the amount of 'good' grass they have available but don't want to go too far and deprive them of essential nutrients. Any suggestions please? We haven't weighed them but wouldn't be surprised if they were over 80kg. We are thinking they need to drop the equivalent of 3 condition points to get to a healthy 3 by tupping time in November

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Reducing condition in obese Hoggets
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2017, 12:19:57 pm »
Either restrict in a small paddock and keep them in there when it is bare, or if you have stubble fields put them out on that (just watch for scald). Give them a mineral bucket (not feed bucket) and that should meet all their nutritional needs. I think I read somewhere it takes 6 weeks to go up or down a condition score.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Reducing condition in obese Hoggets
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2017, 03:00:33 pm »
Are they a Down breed?  If so their metabolism is against you and they're relatively inactive compared to a hill or mountain breed.  Low quality grazing and a mineral bucket, as mentioned, and pregnancy work best.  We once had a Southdown that resembled an overstuffed Club armchair all year round despite always being put on rubbish grazing and our neighbour (Welsh Mules) always said she'd never get in lamb, but she did and raised cracking twins every year until she was 13 years old.

Paul and Caroline

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: Reducing condition in obese Hoggets
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2017, 07:01:33 pm »
Either restrict in a small paddock and keep them in there when it is bare, or if you have stubble fields put them out on that (just watch for scald). Give them a mineral bucket (not feed bucket) and that should meet all their nutritional needs. I think I read somewhere it takes 6 weeks to go up or down a condition score.

Hi We have set up a strip using hurdles 12' wide by 48' long and after less than 48 hours it is looking quite bare. We will get a mineral lick for them and try to ignore their plaintive bleating when when we walk past them to feed this years lambs with their creep feed! Even going down by 1 score will help I think.

Paul and Caroline

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: Reducing condition in obese Hoggets
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2017, 07:05:35 pm »
Are they a Down breed?  If so their metabolism is against you and they're relatively inactive compared to a hill or mountain breed.  Low quality grazing and a mineral bucket, as mentioned, and pregnancy work best.  We once had a Southdown that resembled an overstuffed Club armchair all year round despite always being put on rubbish grazing and our neighbour (Welsh Mules) always said she'd never get in lamb, but she did and raised cracking twins every year until she was 13 years old.

They are Texel crosses (with scotch mules We think) and definitely do not have a hard life! As you and Twizzel have suggested we will get a lick for them and move them round the paddock periodically (more to relieve the ground than anything else). Our concern is not only getting them to fall pregnant at tupping but to avoid any difficulty when they lamb.....

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Reducing condition in obese Hoggets
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2017, 08:40:40 pm »
As you don't want to starve them, which is effectively what putting them on a bare pasture alone does, I would add some straw for them to eat. (Plus minerals, as mentioned.) This keeps their rumen bacteria going and will keep them filled while reducing their nutrition level.
If even this doesn't reduce their size as much as you would want, I wouldn't worry too much. They'll probably be OK and reduce in size after their first pregnancy. I had a pair of grossly obese Ryeland crosses, much like Marches Farmer's Southdown. I worried that they wouldn't get pregnant. But they did. I then worried that they'd get pregnancy toxaemia. But they didn't. They also had a set of twins apiece with no problem at all.
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