Unit 10: Sheep Feeding - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Unit 10: Sheep Feeding

Chapter 10

• Unit 10 Objectives:
• Outline life-cycle feeding programs for sheep
• Knowledge of nutrient needs and additive options
• Understand nutrient related diseases and disorders

• Largest single cost of production in all types of sheep operations
• Must support optimum production, promote efficiency, be economical to feed, minimize metabolic problems
• Breeding Flock
• Ewes are most important to sheep operations
• Produce wool
• Raise lambs
• Both greatly influenced by nutrition

• Genetics are important, but the feeding program is crucial
• Sheep producers can realize more income over investment than all other meat animal producers
• Recommended flock size is 100 or more ewes, minimum of 35 (1 ram)
• Choosing a Lambing System
• Early Lambing (Jan-Feb)
• Lamb prices are highest in May & June when most early lambs can be marketed
• More labor available to tend to the flock

• Parasite problems are less and less severe
• Stocking rate can be higher
• Don’t need expensive facilities
• Late Lambing (Mar-Apr)
• Roughages can provide most of feed for ewes and lambs
• Lambing facilities don’t need to be as good for early lambs
• Less care and management needed before and during breeding season for good conception
• Lambs can be marketed w/out feeding much concentrate
• Lamb prices are substantially lower in fall & early winter

• High quality pastures are a must
• Parasite control is critical, risk for infestation is high
• Feed Requirements
• 1 ewe and her lambs
• 4 bu grain & 800 lbs of hay/yr
• 5-6 mos good pasture grazing, 2 mos winter pasture (or 800 lb more hay)
• Poor quality hay = more grain supplementation
• Feeding for Maintenance
• Mature ewes (3-8 yrs)
• Feed enough to maintain physiological function from weaning until 15 wks gestation
• Prevent weight loss in previous lactation

• Pasture is adequate for maintaining ewes, if good quality is available
• Feeding & Care at Breeding Time
• Remove ewes from pasture ~2 wks before breeding season
• Some research indicates hormone interferences with reproductive success while on legume pastures
• Begin to condition the ewes in order to bring them into breeding about the same time and shorten lambing window

• Feeding after Breeding
• Gestation = 147-150d
• First 3.5 mos
• Maintain body condition with good pasture and/or hay
• Last 1.5 mos
• Poor care at this point can result in:
• Lambing paralysis or pregnancy disease
• Weak lambs
• Drop in milk production
• Low wool clip
• Light wool clip
• Energy requirements are increasing during this period
• Protein, min/vit as well

• Rations may vary due to time of lambing
• Pasture Ewe Nutrition
• Present and previous stocking rate of pasture greatly affects nutritional content
• Overgrazed pastures are unproductive and unpalatable
• Pasture forages
• Grass plants
• Utilize a mixture of cool/warm season grasses
• Legumes
• Can provide higher protein source than mature grasses

• Pasture supplementation
• Depends on condition of the pasture
• May have to supplement:
• Energy, CP, P, Vit A, water
• Use care to not increase cost too much
• Pregnancy Disease
• Lambing Paralysis or Ketosis
• Caused by lack of usable CHO’s
• Usually affects older ewes (especially those carrying twins/triplets)
• Most cases occur with ewes in poor condition
• Acetone smell on the breath, lagging behind flock, staggering, paralysis

• Prevention
• Increase energy content prior to lambing
• Maintain proper body condition
• Treatment
• Administer molasses, propylene glycol, or dextrose solution
• If exhibited by a group of ewes, add ¼ to ½ lb of molasses to diet
• Feeding the Lactating Ewe
• Nutritional requirements are 2-3x greater than maintenance
• Ewes w/ twin lambs produce 20-40% more milk than singles, nutritional requirements adjust accordingly

• Milk production peaks ~2-3 wks after lambing and lasts until ~8th wk
• Milk production of 3-6+ lbs daily
• Milk provides primary source of nutrition for lambs for 1st mo or 2
• Don’t force the ewe to eat right away after lambing
• Provide lots of clean/fresh water
• Little bit of feed
• Increase slowly about day 3
• Splitting the amount fed/feeding decreases acidosis
• Nursing 1 lamb = feed 1x/d
• Nursing 2 lambs = feed 2x/d etc.

• Ensure proper mineral supplementation
• Feeding Lambs
• New life
• Must nurse w/in first hr
• Most do w/in 30 min
• Ensure proper antibody transfer to ewe to lamb
• Consume at least 6-8 oz of colostrum
• Bottle feed, if necessary
• Largest portion of lamb loss due to starvation in 1st wk
• Orphan lambs, milk production problems, etc.
• Triplets, and weak lambs

• Using milk replacer
• Should switch quickly after birth
• House in clean/dry area w/ other lambs
• Goal is ½ to 1 lb milk replacer consumption/d
• 2 feedings
• Wean ~3wks to reduce feeding cost and increase rate of gain in the lamb
• Access to dry feed & water
• Feeding Market Lambs
• Early lambs
• Healthy lambs will begin eating dry feed at 10d of age
• Creep feeding is recommended to increase weaning wts

• Weaning
• 25lb wt at 25-30 d artificially reared
• 18-19% CP diet fully fortified until 50lb BW
• Lambs normally reared – no weaning necessary as ewe takes care of it ~40lbs
• Reduce stress
• Maximizing gain & conversions
• 10-16% CP diets
• Should gain rapidly & efficiently until 75-100lbs (especially crossbred lambs)
• After 100lbs BW, reduce to 13-14% CP diet to save cost
• Some producers will feed the same feed from creep until ~100lbs BW
• Simplifies feeding
• ~15% CP diets

• For grow/finish lambs: shelled corn, hay, and supplement
• BMP’s
• Start lambs on complete pellet to ensure intake
• Vaccinate for enterotoxemia 2x
• Make gradual ration changes (7-10d)
• Feed 2x/d at regular times
• Feed high quality hay
• >12” bunk space/lamb
• Free choice salt, plenty of water

• Feeding methods
• Self-feeding
• Saves labor
• Increases the grain feeding amount
• Hand-feeding
• Feed 2x/d
• Easily identify lambs not eating/sick
• Most used method when feeding silage
• Pasture
• Several options – can use early, then finish lambs on grain; pasture until finished
• Takes longer to finish lambs on 100% pasture

• Reduces cost/lb gain
• Keep rations vit fortified to reduce diseases, improve immune response
• Late lambs
• Good pasture is key
• Top lambs can be marketed right off pasture
• remaining lambs can be fed
• Enterotoxemia in Nursing Lambs
• Overeating disease
• Usually affects the largest, fastest gaining lambs

• Clostridium perfringens bacteria
• Treat w/ antitoxin
• Effective for 2-3 wks
• Vaccination effective for 5-6 mos
• Some vaccinate ewes 1 mo before lambing
• Vaccinate early weaning lambs 2x prior to weaning
• Vaccinate older lambs when moving
• Feeding Replacement Ewe Lambs
• Breeding ewes as lambs to lamb at 1 yr of age (7-8 mos old)

• Advantages
• Gets ewes in production sooner
• Shortens generation interval, increases genetic progress
• Increases lifetime production
• Identifies most productive ewes
• Keep replacement lambs off possible finished-type diets
• Control diet to minimize over conditioning

• Miscellaneous
• Urea
• Can be fed up to 1.5% of diet
• Don’t use in creep rations, range rations, lamb rations w/ low energy
• Grow/finish only
• Mix carefully
• Additives & implants
• Chlorotet/Oxytet in creep rations for nursing lambs & finishing rations improves gain & efficiency
• Best response under stress conditions
• Be aware of feeding rates

• Bovatec for Coccidiosis control
• Ralgro
• Results inconsistent
• 3-5% improvement in gains in nursing & feeder lambs
• Ammonium sulfate or chloride
• .5% inclusion minimizes urinary calculi