Can sheep eat Alfalfa pellets

lilachill · #1 03/04/11, 11:21 AM

I feed my bred goat alfalfa pellets. Other forums say she can eat them free choice with our grass hay. Because my 1st time bred Katahdins share the same daytime space my goat only has the pellets (and minerals with copper) during the night , when penned separately.
Can sheep eat alfalfa pellets free choice. Would it have the same benefit or would they potentially get fat, causing problems for our first lambing season. The sheep have access to grass hay all of the time and for "gentle-ing" purposes 1/4 # of sweet feed twice a day.salt and minerals. They were bred in December.
Thanks

Bearfootfarm · #2 03/04/11, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Can sheep eat alfalfa pellets free choice

They are better off eating hay, but the pellets won't harm them.

I wouldn't offer all they want though.

Sheep can be greedy

Our Little Farm · #3 03/04/11, 03:16 PM

We give them during the winter just before lambing and during the first month after having lambs. Ours don't go wild over them ever, seem to much prefer the fresh hay offered.

lambs.are.cute · #4 03/04/11, 04:18 PM

mine would starve rather than eat alfalfa pellets. I had a part of a bag left over from fair and tried to feed to the ewes and.............. my horses loved me for a while.

lilachill · #5 03/04/11, 05:47 PM

Maybe my sheep like the alfalfa pellets so much because the goat loves them and whatever she has, they want.

**Ross** · #6 03/04/11, 08:44 PM

My sheep would vacuum every pellet they could stuff it down their necks. A whole grain suppliment would be better than pellets, but again not free choice. OLF you have the weirdest sheep!!

Our Little Farm · #7 03/04/11, 08:49 PM

Seems I am not the only one, 'lambs are cute' sheep are the same.

Our hay is very good, maybe that is why. Or maybe it's the breed of sheep and what they are used to.

eieiomom · #8 03/04/11, 09:35 PM

LOL, my flock is guilty of both sides of the story...certain individuals that chew on my pockets till I give them a handful and others that turn up their nose rather than eat those yuchy smelly things, this would also be among the same breeds

Deb

lambs.are.cute · #9 03/05/11, 10:58 AM

yes my hay is really good. It has so many leaves I almost need to use a bucket to get it from the bale to the feeder. I have ewes that won't eat grain either (I have tried different kinds of grain just to see if they would eat it). Now I have grain with mollasses and some of my ewes just suck the mollases off the grain and leave it for the others who are more than happy to finish.