Ours get a mineral block and all the pasture they can eat. Fresh water is available at all times from a creek. We only feed hay in the winter, and even then they still forage through the snow to eat. We only give grain the month they are due to lamb and the month after.
Our lambs were born end Jan, are almost as big as their ewes and are pasture raised.

 

I feed nothing but prarie grass. The one exception is the ten year old ewe that threw twins this year, and she gets just a bit of grain to get her up in condition. I might try flushing this year, due to only one set of twins. Mine are all fat, even the lambs. IMO if it works don't fix it.

 

Mine are on medicated creep feed as a preventative for coccidiosis.
They have free choice loose mineral/salt.
Pasture grass and what ever grass hay they can steal from Maggie.

 

Thanks guys...I was starting to think I was the only one that wasnt doing it right per all there guidlines for feeding sheep online and in books.
I am glad to see that I am not alone and do what I feel is required and/or needed.


I should stop reading all the sheep feeding requirements...it is driving me insane...LOL

 

I tried it "by the book" one year and my crosses got too fat. The only sheep I grained this year was a yearling suffolk ewe starting a couple of months before she lambed and a little bit after. I didn't set up a creep feeder this year because I have enough feeder space with the mamas (who were playing nice and sharing) and my grass had come up (which is probably why the mamas were playing nice). In a month or so when the grass is up really strong my ewes will stop eating hay and they will be on grass only untill middle of september (when I flush). Grass hay and Alfalfa here are the same price so they get alfalfa all winter and no grain.

 

I've only been in VA with them since October, so I'm still figuring out pasture dates and hay suppliers, but it looks like at best I'll have pasture from late March- early November, drought notwithstanding. Right now the pasture is rye, chickweed, henbit, lamium, and vetch, and they love it; here's hoping they feel the same about the wire grass and crab grass to come.

Alfalfa is crazy expensive (and usually it's been sprayed with something nasty), so I try to save that as a very occasional winter treat, for fall flushing, and for early lactation. I finally found good hay late this winter, a mix of grass and clover, still green, not stemmy. Orchard grass, timothy, Bermuda, and lespedeza were a bust-- picky critters!

I don't do any creep feed either; my understanding is that that's for fattening them up quickly for slaughter? The only time the lambs get special food is when I'm milking, I lock the lambs up at night, hopefully just in a separate paddock with regular pasture, and a tiny amount of grain to train them to run through the gate in the evenings.

All of the sheep & lambs have free access to organic salt, loose mineral, and kelp. They chow the kelp in the winter, but aren't as interested once the pasture kicks in (which is good, considering the price :shocked. The mineral is a custom blend from the wonderful folks at Countryside Organics in Waynesboro, VA (about 90 miles away); I had them make me a batch that doesn't have salt and selenium yeast mixed in. I'm not sure yet if I'm in a selenium deficient area; the soils around here vary quite a bit, and no one seems to know for sure, so I don't want to poison my sheep! I use their blend of grains specific to sheep for milking, training, and quick calories after lambing. I get all my supplies at Countryside (except chick starter, they go through that too fast for the $$), I highly recommend them to anyone in the neighborhood, but shipping 50 lb bags to Texas might be a little pricey.... :shrug:

 

From mid April to November, they are on pasture only, with access to good sheep minerals.

I turn my ram in with the ewes August first, most of my lambs are born in January. I don't flush my ewes, they are on good pasture. All of my ewes twinned or tripped this year.

Starting in November, or whenever the pasture gives out, I supplement with whatever fine stemmed grass hay I have on hand, either my own or a neighbors.

Beginning December 1st and continuing through to when the lambs are weaned (usually the middle of April), I mix a good general livestock pellet, 14% protein pellet in bulk from the supplier, 1:2 ration with alfalfa pellets that I buy in bulk .. (50 lbs of livestock pellets to 100 lbs of alfalfa pellets). Buying in bulk costs about $15 per 100 lbs. I feed in bunk feeders at a rate of 1 lb per 100 lbs of sheep per day, so a 150 lb ewe is getting about 1.5 lbs. Old ewes get jugged early and fed special so they don't have to compete, otherwise, they learn to gobble when the food is poured in.

Ewes lamb in a small paddock and are moved to lambing jugs where while jugged (3 days), they are fed the same as when they aren't jugged.

Rams and unbred ewes (if I have any, likely only a few show yearlings) do not get grained. They get supplemental grass hay. We have pasture year round, not great, but it keeps them busy.

As soon as I have a group of lambs that are nibbling, I set up a creep pen and feed medicated creep, lots of problems with cocci here in the warm wet spring and although in the past I have preferred to treat instead of prevent, now I have over 100 lambs a year and it's much easier to control with prevention. I feed way less than the bag's recommendation of the pig lambs don't bloat.

 

Fowler, here is my thoughts..and I am by no means an expert.

My stockdog instructor..who also breeds sheep..has a philsiphy..she wants hardy, easy keepin' sheep that can survive with just the basics. She has pasture, coastal hay, freechoice mineral and water..

I try to stick to that same train of thought..and luckily, my sheep are fat as ticks on this program. I do give alittle alfalfa pellets to keep them friendly and coming when I call..but they certainly dont "need" it.

Im curious though..I assume nutrition affects if a ewe has a single or double/triple birth? regarding quality of hay/pasture/minerals??? Anyone, please chime in...

 

Mine get grass and hay, water, minerals, etc. Last year, in the fall and through weaning, I feed them each 1 lb of sheep pellets per day. This year, I am only going to feed the pellets if I see that they need a bit of condition.