What is the best feed for fattening sheep?
What is the best feed for fattening sheep?
Good quality hay (alfalfa or other leguminous hay) and a concentrate mixture, containing 16 percent crude protein (as fed) with barley grain and soyabean meal as basic ingredients should be offered from two weeks of age. The same concentrate mixture should be offered after weaning.
What is the best food for ewes at lambing?
After lambing, move the ewe up to full feed (6-7 pounds) of a diet containing 65% total digestible nutrients and 15% crude protein (when suckling twins). An example diet that would meet this requirement could be 4 pounds of moderate quality alfalfa hay and 2 pounds of whole corn.
How can I increase my sheep fertility?
4 simple ways to improve ewe fertility
- Keep bodyweight in check. Healthy bodyweight is a crucial for healthy fertility.
- Scan during pregnancy. Scanning your sheep during pregnancy will tell you how many lambs the ewe is carrying, which will help you plan each ewe’s diet.
- Control disease.
- Keep the best flock.
How much grain should a pregnant ewe get?
In these cases, producers may choose to supplement the ewes base diet with grain (1/2 to 1 pound for ewe flocks with lower expected lamb crops – 130 to 150 percent; 1 to 2 pounds for ewe flocks with higher expected lamb crops-180 to 225 percent) during the last 4 weeks of gestation.
How can I get my sheep to gain weight?
Suggested flushing rations
- A good mixed pasture of legumes and grasses,
- A grass pasture plus 150 g of wheat bran per head per day,
- Grass pasture plus 250 g of grains and 450 g of oil cakes,
- Legume hay full fed plus 100 g of wheat bran and 150 to 200 g of grain and.
How long does it take to fatten a ewe?
The amount of eye muscle and degree of fat cover over the spinous and transverse processes should be assessed. It will take six to eight weeks on good grazing to gain one condition score – between 10% and 13% of body weight, which is 7-9kg in a 70kg ewe.
What is the most important nutrient required by ewes during late pregnancy?
Ideally feed 17-18% crude protein. Use high quality protein sources to enhance milk output on both grass and preserved forages. Soya bean meal is an excellent quality protein source. Feed a Ewe Nut with optimum levels of Cereals (barley, wheat, maize) in order to maximise energy intakes.
What to feed ewes after lambing?
Higher producing ewes rearing more than one lamb will need a source of digestible undegraded protein (DUP), to support good milk yields. Soya bean meal or protected soya can be included in the ration for this purpose.
Are twin ewe lambs fertile?
Ewes born as twins were less fertile at first mating, improved rapidly in their reproductive performance at subsequent matings, but then declined in fertility quite early in their breeding life.
Are alfalfa pellets good for sheep?
Lambs consuming alfalfa pellets had a feed conversion of 10 to 1, compared to sheep eating coarse alfalfa at 40 to 1. “They have better feed conversion eating the pellet than consuming and digesting coarse alfalfa hay.” Energy, vitamins and mineral content in a feed affects the intake of finishing lambs.
Why is good Ewe nutrition important?
Improving ewe nutrition for Better Returns Good ewe nutrition is vital for successful flock performance. The feed requirements of ewes vary significantly depending on their stage of production and feeding regimes must take account of this. This manual looks at all the elements of ewe feeding and incorporates the latest thinking on this topic
How do I contact EBLEX?
Better Returns Programme EBLEX Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2TL Tel: 0870 241 8829 Fax: 0844 744 6253 Email: [email protected] www.eblex.org.uk © EBLEX 2009
How much energy do I need to feed my ewes?
Energy is measured in the amount of megajoules (MJ) required per ewe per day.The requirements of ewes vary widely from about 8MJ/head/day for maintenance, to 30MJ/head/day in lactation for a 70kg Mule ewe rearing twins. For most of the year these requirements can be met by grass alone.
