Supplemental Grain Feeding Sheep

There are critical times of the year when the ewes sometimes need a little extra help with their feed intake.  Late in their pregnancy is one time.  And then, depending on forage available, while raising the lambs.  At lambing time we like to supplement with molasses based protein lick tubs since it causes less disruption to the flock.  When lambing has ceased and the lambs are about a month old, we switch to a 20% protein, soy hull pellet based feed that is poured out in the troughs shown below.  Here all the troughs are piled onto the tractor loader forks to move from the old feeding area to the next.  As we rotate the flock to new pasture areas, all the feeders need to be moved, which includes:  the feed troughs, the mineral feeder, and the hay feeder.  Water tub and dog house moves also.

The troughs are set up into an area adjacent to the pasture with the sheep.  This feeding area is often contained by putting up some net fencing so the sheep don't start wandering off into the adjacent pasture when they are done eating.  An adjacent pasture must be used so that the feed can be poured out without the sheep pushing in trying to get at it immediately.  The sheep can be, and usually are, very pushy in matters of feed.  They can also be quite irrational, on occasion with smaller groups I feed them in their pasture and often the sheep will follow along trying to get the fresh feed coming out of the bucket or bag instead of eating what is in the trough.  With a large number of sheep pushing in to get at the feed, it becomes quite impossible to pour it out.

Here the flock, ewes and lambs, are waiting impatiently for the gate to open so they can get at the feed.

With the gate open, the sheep crowd through going for the feed.  The livestock guardian dogs are also waiting for their morning feeding.  They crowd right in with the sheep.  Here you see Kratos and Zeus's tail.

Here is Zeus.

All lined up at the troughs, at this time the spring ewe flock consists of 242 ewes and 390 lambs.  With 22 orphan lambs being raised by Jackie, lambing success rate this year is about 170%.  This is quite reasonable for pasture lambing operations.  I am making more feed troughs to allow the sheep to spread out a bit more.  Within a few days we will be weaning the lambs off the ewes.  The lambs will then be on ryegrass pasture with 20% protein feed and the ewes will by drying down the udders for 2 weeks on a hay diet.