How to feed a sheep: tips from breeders

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

In the modern world, a lot of owners of their own plots are thinking about housekeeping. At first glance, it seems that there is nothing difficult in this. But in fact, this is a very serious and responsible occupation. If you have never done this before, it is better to initially consult with an experienced farmer. One of the most profitable areas in animal husbandry is sheep breeding. This is due to the fact that they provide not only excellent meat with high palatability, but also wool, the demand for which does not decrease from year to year. However, in order to receive a large amount of the finished product, it is necessary to choose a high-quality complete diet for animals, rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Let's try to figure out what to feed the sheep so that it develops normally and grows he althy.

General information

As each of us knows, sheep belong to the group of herbivores, so their diet consists almost entirely of plant foods. However, for normal growth and development, individuals must receive vitamins, macronutrients and amino acids with food, whichfound only in animal products. Today in stores you can find a huge number of universal balanced combined feeds containing all the necessary nutrients.

If you do not want to use any commercial mixtures, it is very important to diversify the daily diet of sheep as much as possible. Many indicators depend on this, the main ones being animal he alth, weight gain, coat density and softness, and reproductive ability. Let's try to figure out what kind of homemade sheep feed is best to use in order to make cattle breeding as productive and profitable as possible.

Essential food item

Let's take a closer look at this. So, what to feed a sheep? Mostly the diet of animals consists of succulent feed. Any green grass is suitable for this. But the best, according to many experts in the field of animal husbandry, are clover, plantain, wheatgrass and nettle. Moreover, if the sheep are too hungry, then they can eat absolutely everything, including weeds and even thorns. There is nothing wrong with this, since even such plants contain vitamins and nutrients necessary for animals. However, it is not recommended to give them freshly cut grass sprinkled with dew, as it can lead to bloating, in which case the help of a veterinarian is no longer necessary.

If you are a free-range sheep breeder, it is not recommended to releasethem to the pasture after the rain. After eating wet grass, animals can become ill with tympanum, which develops as a result of excessive gas formation in the intestines due to eating easily fermenting feed. Without proper treatment, a sick sheep dies very quickly and painfully.

When choosing a pasture for grazing, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with what plants it is rich in. It is not recommended to release animals to areas where the following types of grass grow:

• henbane;
• hemlock;
• dope;
• spurge;
• hellebore;
• celandine.

Despite the fact that some of them are useful for humans, they are poisonous for sheep and can lead to the development of very serious diseases, most of which are fatal. Therefore, if you do not have the slightest idea about how sheep are fed, and you cannot choose the feed yourself, then it is best to first consult with animal husbandry experts. Each of them will tell you that the best place for walking is a forest glade or meadow, where animals can find not only herbaceous plants, but also young shoots of trees. The latter contain significantly more vitamins and minerals than grass.

For the winter, you can harvest branches of trees such as:

• apple tree;
• willow;
• honeysuckle;
• pear;
• hazel;
• cherry;
• plum;
• birch;
• alder.

It is worth noting that it is recommended to store food for the winter around the end of spring or early summer, since it is during this period that it contains the most nutrients.

An additional component of the diet

Silage is the main food for sheep in the winter, when there is no possibility of free grazing of animals due to snow. Therefore, every summer, the farmer must store his own dried grass.

You can use the following for this:

• sown herbs;
• garden and vegetable waste (beet tops, cabbage leaves, etc.);
• forage crops such as corn or sunflowers.

When preparing silage feed for sheep, it is necessary to take into account the fact that it turns out to be too acidic due to the high concentration of acetic and butyric acids. To avoid this, the plants are dried a little beforehand. This will not only significantly reduce the acid content, but also significantly speed up the silage preparation process.

There is also an alternative method of forage harvesting. Straw is added to freshly cut grass, which will absorb excess moisture without compromising the quality of the silage. It is pre-crushed, after which it is thoroughly mixed with the bulk. The finished silage is placed in specially dug holes or trenches, carefully compacted and covered with plastic wrap.

Here, you probably have a question about how much feed a sheep needs. It all depends onflock livestock. The daily norm for one animal is about 3-4 kilograms. Thus, during the season, the animal consumes approximately 500 kg of mass.

Root crops

Given the feed consumption per sheep, it is physically impossible to prepare enough silage in case of a large livestock. Therefore, the diet must be diversified by adding other products to it.

Root crops are an excellent option, and to be more precise, fodder crops and garden vegetables, among which the following are considered the best:

• beets;
• potato;
• turnip;
• oil radish;
• carrot;
• winter rapeseed;
• colt.

All these crops are an excellent source of fiber, and also have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system. In addition, the presence of fresh vegetables in the diet increases the amount of milk given by sheep. This is especially true in the winter period, when animals are deficient in vitamins and macronutrients. Carrots and beets can be given raw and chopped, but as for potatoes, they must be boiled, otherwise sheep may experience bloating.

Melons

What other feed needs do sheep have? Some of the most favorite types of plants are gourds, such as zucchini and pumpkin. They are rich in all the vitamins necessary for the normal development of animals, milk production and hair growth. However, taking into account their cost in one season, the flock will eat up very impressive amounts. Therefore, it is best to prepare root crops for the winter in sufficient quantities.

Roughage

Straw is used to feed sheep in autumn, winter and spring. It has good nutritional value and can maintain its qualities for a long period of time. How much feed do sheep need daily? One adult consumes an average of 2.5 kilograms of straw.

The following crops are commonly used for its manufacture:

• oats;
• barley;
• millet;
• wheat;
• alfalfa;
• viku.

A great alternative to straw is hay. Its harvesting begins in the middle of summer, when everything around is blooming and fragrant. It is at this time that plants contain the most nutrients, on which the development of the animal and the intensity of weight gain depend. One animal per day requires 3 kilograms of feed. Bioadditives for the recovery of sheep can also be added to the silage along with straw, so that the livestock not only does not lose kilograms over the winter, but even gains a little in mass by the beginning of spring.

Experienced farmers recommend making hay from grasses that have good taste and high useful properties. These include:

• clover;
• wheatgrass;
• alfalfa;
• grain;
• rump;
• vika;
• donnik.

Forage harvesting starts in the middle of summer. After the grass is cut, it is left in the sun until the moisture content of the plants decreases.up to 50 percent. After that, the hay is placed in sealed containers, which are opened in winter.

However, you should understand that roughage is significantly inferior in nutritional properties to green ones, so it is not recommended to feed livestock exclusively with hay or straw all winter, as this will slow down its growth and development, and can also lead to the development of various ailments. In order for the animals to have a complete diet, experts advise giving hydroponic feed to sheep. It is the seeds of legumes and grains germinated in water. But it is not recommended to completely exclude haylage from the diet, since it contains many substances that will be useful to animals.

Concentrates

What are they? Concentrated feeds (biological additives for the recovery of sheep can not be used with them) are feed products with excellent nutritional value and vitamin content. They do not contain all the nutrients that animals need, but concentrates are an integral part of a complete diet throughout almost the entire year. They are especially indispensable in winter.

This feed group is represented by the following crops:

• Grains: barley, wheat, oats.
• Beans: beans; lupins, peas.
• Bran.
• Oilcakes.
• Corn.
• Mixed feed.

All of these products contain protein, starch and vegetable fats. If you breed sheep for milk and wool, then the daily rate of concentrates is 150 grams per head, andone meat ram needs 600 grams.

As for combined feeds, they are universal because they have a balanced composition. However, despite the fact that they contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals, nevertheless, not all of them are suitable for feeding curly wards. When choosing a combined feed for sheep in winter, it is necessary to take into account its orientation. Some formulas are general purpose, while others are designed for specific purposes, such as for fattening lambs, for lactating animals, for gaining body weight, and so on.

During pregnancy, sheep should be given special supplements. If you don’t want to spend too much, then they can be replaced with whey, boiled chicken eggs, milk and cottage cheese.

Mineral supplements

So what do you need to know about them? Any livestock, including sheep, needs minerals. To replenish their supply, animals are given s alt, bone meal and chalk. At the same time, their number is calculated individually for each individual, taking into account such factors as age, gender, pregnancy and other criteria. In order not to think too much when choosing minerals, you can buy special s alt licks, which are sold in many farm stores. They are simply laid out in a corral, and the animals themselves will receive substances in the right amount as needed.

Water

So, we figured out what to feed the sheep. But it is equally important to provide the animals with enough fresh water. This is especially true for young individuals that are at the stagerapid growth and development, as well as pregnant and lactating queens who need a beneficial fluid much more than other animals. The water should be changed regularly to keep it fresh at all times. In winter, drink should be at room temperature, and in summer, on the contrary, it should be lower so that the sheep can more easily endure the heat.

Feeding advice

As experienced farmers say, it is necessary to choose a variety of feed for sheep. Norms dictate that the diet should be adjusted depending on the season of the year. In the spring, the menu does not require any special research, as, in fact, in the summer, since the animals receive a sufficient amount of fresh plant food while walking. However, so that the livestock does not have problems with the digestive system, along the way, you should continue to give it straw or hay. Also during this period, concentrates in the amount of not more than 700 grams per adult must be present in the diet.

Sheep don't get hydroponic feed in the summer because about 80 percent of their menu is fresh juicy grass from pastures. Mothers who have given birth and pregnant women need about 9 kg of greens for normal life, and adult animals - no more than 7 kilograms. To do this, the flock must be free-range for a long period of time. Experienced farmers claim that maximum weight gain can only be achieved if grazing is at least 12 hours a day.

Despite the fact that there are no problems with food in the summer, nevertheless,animals alone cannot grow normally and gain mass. They require various supplements such as root vegetables, sprouted seeds and hay. It is also very important to provide the animals with s alt.

By autumn, meadow grass and other vegetation almost completely loses all their nutritional value, so hay becomes the main component of the daily diet of lambs. For one adult ward, at least three kilograms of this feed is required per day, as well as 4 kg of root crops and gourds.

In winter, sheep are deprived of free range and lead a less active lifestyle, but in order for them not to lose weight, every day they should be given four kilograms of hay, 2 kg of root crops and silage, and about 250 grams of mineral supplements. If you only have straw at your disposal, then in this case you can use compound feed. However, it is very important to choose the right mixture here, as it must be well balanced. When buying, it is necessary to study the characteristics of sheep feed well. Choose only those that contain all the necessary vitamins, minerals and macronutrients.

Recommendations for young stock feeding

What should I pay attention to? As soon as the lambs are born, they are breastfed by their mother for five days. However, it may happen that the queen for some reason refuses to feed her offspring.

In this case, babies can be given the following:

• cow's milk;
• special artificial blends.

You can alsotry to plant him with other sheep, but not all of them agree to feed someone else's lamb. As for artificial feeding, warm milk is poured into a bottle, on which an ordinary baby nipple is put on. Eating should be carried out in sufficient quantities at least five times a day. When the lamb reaches the age of two months, feeding occurs 2 times. At the same time, the animal is gradually taught to drink milk on its own from a bowl.

Solid foods begin to be introduced into the diet in the first month of life. At first they are given in small quantities, gradually increasing portions so that the digestive system can normally adapt to them. They start with water-sprouted seeds of cereals and legumes, and then add hay, silage and fresh herbs to the menu. By the age of five months, the lamb is completely weaned from milk and transferred to a general diet.

Conclusion

Sheep farming is a very lucrative occupation that can not only create a stable income for you, but also provide you with meat, milk and wool. However, in order for the business to be as profitable and profitable as possible, it is necessary to provide animals with good nutrition. This article looked at how to feed a sheep, therefore, by carefully studying the proposed material and subsequently adhering to the general tips and recommendations presented in it, you can more than recoup the financial and physical investments.