Feeding sheep: classification of periods and seasons, norms, features, schedule and recommendations of veterinarians

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Proper nutrition is the basis of productivity for any farm animal. Is it possible, by improving feeding conditions, to turn sheep into the main source of income? Naturally, yes. With proper feeding and maintenance of sheep, the owner will be able to sell meat, young animals, wool and milk of animals. If you balance the diet, then the cattle will please both gains and increased productivity.

Diet for sheep in different seasons

The nutrition of ruminants in winter and summer has its own differences. There are general recommendations from livestock specialists on the preparation of diets for the warm or cold season. The area where the owner lives with livestock, the availability of ingredients and the breed of sheep can play a big role here.

In general, feeding and keeping sheep does not cause difficulties for the owner, but exceptions are possible here. Beginners in animal husbandry are not always immediately able to figure out the diet and balance it. In this caseit is better to consult a veterinary doctor who specializes in small cattle or a livestock specialist from the nearest farm. You need to understand that the diet for feeding Romanov sheep will be somewhat different from the diet of fat-tailed breeds.

At any time of the year, animals must be given mineral and vitamin supplements. Chalk, s alt and meat and bone meal are especially popular among farmers. The norms for giving drugs are selected individually for different groups of sheep. S alt should always be kept in special feeders. Or you can buy special briquettes - mineral licks, which are useful for goats and sheep. In this case, the animals themselves will determine how much s alt they need for normal life, and get it.

Feeding in the springtime

At this time, many animals lack vitamins. If in the southern regions sheep are already beginning to be driven out to pastures, then in the north there is still snow. Any animal needs exercise, but many owners do not let their pets walk through the snowdrifts. Feeding sheep during the stall period is different from grazing, so the recommendations for the southern and northern regions for the spring are not the same.

In areas where it is already warm, giving concentrates can be reduced. In the morning, before being put out to pasture, the sheep are fed a small amount of hay. This is done to prevent atony and tympania. Often in the pasture, sheep greedily pounce on the grass and eat more of it than they need. The body has not yet fully adapted to the summernutrition after winter, so the scar stops, and the animal begins to bloat. Very often, such cases end in the death of part of the flock.

In the northern regions, animals are necessarily offered compound feed or a grain mixture. In addition to this ration, hay is given, sometimes silage or oilcake. A feature of feeding sheep in the northern regions is the obligatory giving of preparations with vitamins E and D3. Due to the lack of walking, animals experience a lack of sunlight. It is recommended to give them fish oil, it will help to cope with beriberi.

If there is a shortage of selenium in the feed in the region, then you need to give it extra. Veterinarians recommend injectable preparations, as they have a faster effect. It is necessary to put funds containing selenium every 3-4 months.

Summer feeding

At this time of the year, it is customary to drive the flock out for grazing. The basis of the sheep's diet at this time is nutritious young grass. Lactating females need to eat about 8-10 kg per day, other categories - up to 7 kg. Grass during this period can be up to 90% of the diet. But in the morning the animals need to be given some hay. If this is not done, then a scar may appear on the pasture of the sheep. This is deadly, especially if the animals walk without a shepherd to provide first aid.

Feeding sheep and goats during the gestation period should include vitamins and minerals, including in the summer. If this is not done, then the lamb may be born weak and unviable. These babies eat poorly and almost never gain weight. AtSheep that are poorly fed during pregnancy are much more likely to miscarry.

In order for the animals to get enough grass, it is advisable to regularly change grazing areas. Usually the flock is driven out to the meadow at 6-7 o'clock in the morning, and they are released only in the evening. If there are no water sources near the pasture, then you need to take care of the supply of liquid. Some owners simply teach the flock to come home at lunchtime. The sheep will be able to rest a little, eat grains and drink plenty.

Dairy females add up to 500 g of compound feed to the diet, the rest - about 100-200 g. If the owner has a lot of vegetables, then they can be given to sheep. Especially useful for them are fodder beets, zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes. You need to start introducing new ingredients into the diet from 200-300 g per day, gradually increasing the rate.

Feeding in autumn

At this time, the nutritional value of the grass drops noticeably, the proportion of grain mixtures for sheep is increased in the diet. The feeding of the lambs is also changed. If in the summer the young could only eat grass and a little grain, now the proportion of concentrates is being increased. Animals are beginning to be habituated again to hay, the main food during the stall period.

Autumn is the time of harvest, so the owners introduce a wide variety of vegetables into the diet of their pets. But we must not forget that sheep are ruminants. This means that their digestion is directly related to the microorganisms that inhabit the rumen. In order to grow bacteria that can process a certain type of food, it will take 21 days. Therefore, new feed should be introduced little by little,gradually increasing their proportion in the diet. If, for example, there is not enough potatoes for a flock for 3 weeks, then there is no need to give it. Or you can introduce it into the diet of a limited group of sheep: fattening lambs, young animals or milking females.

Even if the owner gives the animals enough he althy vegetables, hay and grain, he should not forget about vitamins in the process of feeding. S alt, chalk and other ingredients must be included in the sheep's diet. After the end of the grazing period, it is customary to treat the flock from helminths.

Feeding in winter

During the cold season, sheep need a particularly nutritious diet. Most of the energy is spent on maintaining body temperature, this is due to the fact that animals are often kept in cold barns. Winter feeding of sheep must necessarily include a sufficient amount of concentrates. If this is not done, the animals may freeze to death.

In winter, hay must always be in the feeders so that the cattle can eat it to their heart's content. It is also advisable not to exclude vegetables from the diet. They are especially important for dairy sheep, as they require a lot of liquid to produce milk. If the female needs to be started before lambing, then, on the contrary, they stop giving her vegetables.

In winter, it is very important to properly organize the watering of the flock. It is unacceptable to give sheep an icy liquid. In some females, very cold water can cause spontaneous abortions. Moreover, to warm the ice drink, animals require additional energy, which they willget by eating a large amount of feed.

In winter, milking sheep can be fed compound feed up to 600-700 g, for other categories - up to 400 g. S alt licks are freely available for all animals, chalk is added to grain mixtures.

Diet for rams-producers

If the owner cares about the reproduction of sheep in his flock, then he must establish proper feeding. Sheep require good nutrition to maintain sexual function. However, you need to make sure that the producer does not get fat, as he may have problems with insemination. Everyone knows how important it is to feed sheep, but some owners forget about sheep.

During the period when mating is not planned, producers are given at least 2 kg of good hay. It is advisable to feed the sheep vegetables, it is enough for him from 2 to 3 kg. Concentrates in the diet should be 400-600 g, depending on the live weight of the animal.

During the breeding season, the need for nutrients from the producer increases. Hay is given to the sheep in plenty, but not less than 1.5-2 kg. The grain mixture or compound feed is adjusted to 1 kg. It is also desirable to give the manufacturer cake. They begin to introduce it into the diet 2-3 weeks before the breeding period, gradually bringing the daily rate to 200 grams. It is also desirable to give the producer vegetables, bran, eggs or cottage cheese. Chalk and s alt must be present in the diet.

Diet for ewes

Females during pregnancy should receive an enhanced diet. After giving birth, the nutritional needs of the sheepsubstances increase even more, so food is made even more high-calorie. It is very important to monitor the quality of feed during this period, untested food can cause miscarriage and even death of the animal.

Every day, the expectant mother should eat at least a kilogram of hay. It is advisable to give the ewe a mixture of herbs and legumes. If the farmer is not rich, then part of the hay can be replaced with high-quality straw. Also, the diet of the ewe can be diversified with pre-prepared brooms from tree branches.

During pregnancy, the female can be given up to 3.5 kg of vegetables. However, it is recommended to limit or exclude succulent feed just before the birth in order to avoid udder edema. Concentrates give from 300 to 500 g. Feeding sheep during pregnancy should be complete, so it necessarily includes a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. To prevent postpartum edema, the s alt lick is removed 3 weeks before lambing.

Young Animal Diet

Feeding norms for sheep and lambs are different. Immediately after giving birth, you need to drink the baby with colostrum. If within 60 minutes the lamb does not receive it, then he will have very poor immunity. This is fraught with a small set of body weight, constant illness and other problems.

It is customary for owners to raise lambs under their wombs. Even if a sheep has brought several babies, then, as a rule, she does not have problems with feeding them. If for some reason the mother did not begin lactation, then her cubs can be given to another female. Sometimes the owner feedslambs are artificially cow's or goat's milk. Newborn cubs are watered about 5 times a day.

At 2-3 months, young animals are taught to eat grain, cake, hay. Once the lambs are eating the concentrates well, they will be gradually removed from the milk. Usually, by this age, the ewes themselves beat them off the udder. In summer, young animals are driven out to pasture, where, using the example of adult animals, they learn to eat green mass.

Diet for fattening sheep

Feeding sheep to increase body weight implies a higher calorie menu. In order to maximize the slaughter weight, fattening animals are transferred to bean hay. It is given up to 1 kg per day. It is possible to add other high-quality hay to the diet. In order to make fattening take less time, the rams are given nutritious silage, in some cases, its amount can reach up to 5 kg.

From vegetables, they focus on industrial beets or potatoes, which are sometimes offered boiled. Feeding pumpkin before slaughter is undesirable, as it can impart a yellowish color to meat and lard. If it is included in the diet, then in small quantities. Sheep are also offered grain, mainly barley, peas and corn.

Of course, this diet is approximate. The exact norms depend on the breed of sheep, its age and time of year. For example, in the summer the flock spends most of its time on the pasture, so the animals need less food.

Feeding schedule

If the owner wants to get the maximum profit from his animals, then heshould take good care of them. Compliance with the correct feeding schedule for livestock plays an important role in keeping. During the canteen period, sheep are fed 3 times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. The time for giving food must be strictly observed, deviations from the schedule for more than 30-60 minutes are not allowed. Animals get used to the daily routine, so if something in it is disturbed, then they experience stress. Such conditions lead to a decrease in milk and meat productivity of the flock.

In the summer, animals are allowed to be transferred to two meals a day. Usually in the morning the sheep are given a small amount of hay, and then driven to pasture. In the evening, the flock returns home, here I offer the animals both hay and grain mixtures with vitamins. Some owners also feed the sheep at lunchtime. In this case, at about 12-14 hours, the animals come from the pasture, drink water, eat and go back.

Vet advice

In order for the sheep to always be he althy, you need to use only high-quality feed. In the grazing season, the main food is grass, but the diet should not consist only of it. For good he alth and proper development, sheep need to eat grain and vitamin-mineral mixtures.

Eating is especially important for pregnant females. The food absorbed by them goes not only to maintain their own body, but also to develop a he althy fetus. If a sheep gets everything she needs during pregnancy, then her birth almost always goes without complications.