After lambing, move the ewe up to full feed (6-7 pounds) of a diet containing 65% total digestible nutrients and 15% crude protein (when suckling twins). An example diet that would meet this requirement could be 4 pounds of moderate quality alfalfa hay and 2 pounds of whole corn.
Full Answer
What do you feed Lambs after they are weaned?
After the lambs have been weaned, the ewes should be maintained in dry lot and fed low quality grass hay or straw until their udders start to dry up and recede. It is not necessary to remove water from ewes at weaning.
How much should I Feed my sheep after lambing?
If grass supply is insufficient, continue to feed concentrates after lambing (up to a maximum of 1 kg/day of high energy and protein). Weather conditions will need to be monitored as ewes and lambs will not graze when weather conditions are poor.
How much grain should I Feed my ewes?
Ideally, ewes should be separated into production groups and fed according to the number of lambs they are nursing. A general rule of thumb for concentrate feeding of lactating ewes is 1 pound of grain for each lamb nursing the ewe. Protein and energy are both critical nutrients for milk production.
What to do with ewes after they are weaned?
After the lambs have been weaned, the ewes should be maintained in dry lot and fed low quality grass hay or straw until their udders start to dry up and recede. It is not necessary to remove water from ewes at weaning. It can also be dangerous during hot weather.
What to give ewes after lambing?
After lambing, move the ewe up to full feed (6-7 pounds) of a diet containing 65% total digestible nutrients and 15% crude protein (when suckling twins). An example diet that would meet this requirement could be 4 pounds of moderate quality alfalfa hay and 2 pounds of whole corn.
What do you give a ewe with toxemia?
A glucose drench or injectable glucose every 6–12 hours will provide a rapid increase in the ewe's blood sugar levels. Offer good quality hay and oats to the affected ewe if she is able to eat.
How long do you feed ewes after lambing?
Ewes in good body condition at lambing have the ability to lose a small amount of condition without affecting their milking ability. However, it is crucial that ewes are fed to their requirement for up to 4 weeks after lambing as they are in their peak milk production in this period.
What feed is best for pregnant ewes?
At this stage of pregnancy good grazing would be ideal but if grass is in short supply, moderate quality hay or silage fed to appetite should be supplemented with a high-quality concentrate feed fed at a daily rate of 0.2kg and 0.3kg, respectively, for ewe lambs and shearlings carrying singles and twins.
What are the signs of calcium deficiency in sheep?
Calcium Deficiency Clinical Sign: Weakness, inappetance, muscle tremors, inability to rise. Occurs late in pregnancy. Treatment: Dramatic 60-100 ml of Calcium Gluconate slowly IV or SQ. Untreated-die in 6-12 hours.
How do you treat ketosis in sheep?
Treatment. Treatment of ketosis is relatively simple – administer a readily usable form of energy (usually glucose) and get the ewe eating on her own again (usually with the help of anabolic steroids). Once she is eating, add an energy supplement to her ration to increase energy intake.
When can I worm ewes after lambing?
Traditionally, most flocks have wormed ewes at lambing. This practice is designed to combat the drop in immunity to worms that ewes experience from around 2 weeks before lambing to 6 weeks afterwards.
Are Oats good for sheep?
Oats has a 10% lower feed value than barley. This is due to a higher fibre content of oats. For this reason oats is a very safe feed for sheep.
How much corn should I feed my sheep?
Thin ewes can be flushed with 0.5 to 1 lb. of corn or barley per day. Four to six weeks prior to lambing, ewes should be supplemented with approximately 0.75 to 1 lb. of grain per day.
When should you feed a pregnant ewe?
Nutrition during late pregnancy (day 90-145) influences lamb birth weight and viability, colostrum supply, lambing difficulty, mothering ability, ewe mortality and subsequent lamb growth rates. Therefore appropriate feeding during the final 6-8 weeks pre lambing is vital.
How much protein does a pregnant ewe need?
The crude protein requirement for a 70 kg ewe in the last 4 weeks of gestation is 214g/day. Crude protein is necessary for udder development which would impact on colostrum supply and milk supply for newborn lambs. A ration with 16 – 18% crude protein is adequate once fed with good quality hay or silage.
When should you start feeding in lamb ewes?
Start young lambs on Lamb Starter/Grower from the age of about seven days. This will provide optimum controlled growth, incorporating top quality proteins and easily digestible energy sources. Always start by feeding small quantities to ensure that feed remains fresh. Discard any stale feed that has not been eaten.
How to increase lambing percentage in ewes?
Flushing. Feeding the ewe so she is gaining weight about 2 weeks before breeding is called flushing. Flushing may increase lambing percentage by increasing the number of eggs that the ewes ovulate. Flushing works best on thin ewes. Ewes that are already in good body condition usually do not respond well to flushing .
How long before ewes can you feed grain?
Weaning often takes place at a time when ewes are still producing a lot of milk. In this is the case, grain should be reduced 1 to 2 weeks prior to weaning. For the last week or so prior to weaning, no grain should be fed to the ewes.
How early can ewes receive grain?
More energy is required two weeks before lambing versus six weeks before lambing. Ewes carrying singles do not need to receive grain as early as those carrying multiple births. Pregnancy toxemia. Pregnancy toxemia or ketosis is the most common nutritional disorder that occurs during late gestation.
Why is spring grass good for ewes?
Spring grass is high in protein, water, and other nutrients which promote milk production. The overriding concern at weaning time for ewes is to prevent mastitis. Ewes need to be watched closely during the weaning period for mastitis. Ewes with spoiled udders have decreased or no future production value.
What are the nutrients that are needed for lambs to survive?
Big lambs increase lambing problems and have a higher mortality rate. The nutrients that are important during late gestation are energy, protein, calcium, selenium, and vitamin E. The amount of energy required depends upon the number of fetuses and cold stress.
What happens when you underfeed a lamb?
Underfeeding will result in the birth of small lambs. Small lambs are less resistant to cold stress and will have slower pre-weaning growth. Most of the ewe’s mammary development occurs during late gestation. Underfeeding will reduce the yield and quality of milk.
What is the maintenance period for sheep?
Maintenance means the ewe only needs to maintain her body weight or have slow growth to recover the weight (condition) she lost during lactation. A wide variety of low-cost feedstuffs can meet the maintenance requirements of ewes. Pasture or grass hay is all most sheep need to maintain themselves. Pet sheep should always be fed at a maintenance level.
What to feed a lamb after lambing?
After lambing, move the ewe up to full feed (6-7 pounds) of a diet containing 65% total digestible nutrients and 15% crude protein (when suckling twins). An example diet that would meet this requirement could be 4 pounds of moderate quality alfalfa hay and 2 pounds of whole corn.
When to put a nutrition plan in place for ewes?
Learn to put a nutrition plan in place early in the season so you can decrease problems with your ewes later. Two phases of the ewe’s biological cycle need special dietary consideration when it comes to lambing: The first phase is the last four to six weeks of pregnancy, when 70% of fetal lamb growth occurs. In this late gestation period, ewes ...
How much feed should a 154 lb ewe eat?
For example, a 154-pound ewe will eat about 4.5 pounds of feed per day of a late gestation diet. For a 130%–180% lamb crop, she would need a diet with 65% total digestible nutrients and 11.3% crude protein. This could be met using 2 pounds of low-quality hay, 1 pound of corn and 1 pound of peas.
When do ewes start to grow?
The first phase is the last four to six weeks of pregnancy, when 70% of fetal lamb growth occurs. In this late gestation period, ewes require significantly more dietary energy and protein than earlier in pregnancy.
Can lambs be fed separately?
Young lamb mothers need additional requirements for their own growth and may benefit from being fed as a separate group if circumstances allow. As the quantity of grass increases in your pasture, you can decrease the amount of supplemental feed offered to your sheep, eventually relying solely on grass.
Is grass hay good for ewes?
Hence, the feed available from pasture may be too low to meet the demands of the ewe. Many times, grass hay alone does not contain sufficient concentration of nutrients for the ewe. Low-quality grass hay does not meet the energy and protein requirements of ewes during various segments of the production cycle.
How much should ewe lambs weigh?
Keep only those ewes who meet your benchmark for performance. A good rule of thumb is that ewe lambs should weigh at least 70% of their mature weight at breeding. Lambs should be managed so that they are not excessively fat because fat will accumulate in the udder and decrease overall milk production.
Why is it important to feed lambs densely?
Nutrient dense feeds are very important at this point because the lambs will take up a large amount of space inside the ewe, which will limit how much she can eat. Poor nutrition can lead to problems such as pregnancy disease, weak or lighter birth weight lambs, and decreased milk production.
Why are ewes grouped separately?
These ewes lambs are grouped separately from mature ewes to insure that they receive additional nutrition to support their growth as well as that of their lambs. When ewe lambs are bred to lamb later than mature ewes, this also gives producers an opportunity to spend more time with ewes lambing for the first time.
What is lifetime performance in sheep?
Lifetime performance is an often overlooked measurement in sheep operations. Ewe lambs that lamb at one year of age have increased nutritional requirements to account for the growth of lambs in the uterus as well as the continued growth of the ewe. Ewes that produce a lamb at a year of age should have a higher lifetime production than a ewe ...
Can ewes breed later than mature ewes?
Some producers breed e we lambs later than the mature ewes. This can allow producers to manage the ewes as one large group for a short period of time. Ewe lambs receive higher nutrition throughout the pregnancy to support their growth while the mature ewes receive higher nutrition only during the last part of gestation.
Do bred lambs need grain?
Bred ewe lambs should be gradually switched over to higher quality forage at this time. Ewe lambs may also require a grain supplement, depending on their body condition and the nutritional value of the forage.
Do ewes produce lambs?
Ewes that produce a lamb at a year of age should have a higher lifetime production than a ewe that lambs for the first time at two years of age. However, these young ewes are not only producing a lamb, they are also still growing. So, producers should manage these ewe lambs differently than mature ewes. When selecting ewe lambs to breed, keep in ...
How long before ewes can you feed grain?
Weaning often takes place at a time when ewes are still producing a lot of milk. In this is the case, grain should be reduced 1 to 2 weeks prior to weaning. For the last week or so prior to weaning, no grain should be fed to the ewes.
How to prevent ewes from prolapse?
Preventing ewes from becoming overfat and limiting intake are two ways to reduce vaginal prolapses. Lactation. Lactation places the greatest nutritional demand on ewes. How much you feed a ewe will depend upon how many lambs she is nursing, her size and condition, her age, and the time of the year the lambs are born.
Why is spring grass good for ewes?
Spring grass is high in protein, water, and other nutrients which promote milk production. The overriding concern at weaning time for ewes is to prevent mastitis. Ewes need to be watched closely during the weaning period for mastitis. Ewes with spoiled udders have decreased or no future production value.
How long before a lamb is born should you flush?
Feeding the ewe so she is gaining weight about 2 weeks before breeding is called flushing. Flushing may increase lambing percentage by increasing the number of eggs that the ewe ovulates.
What is the best body condition score for ewes?
Generally, the better the body condition score is at mating, the higher the ovulation rate will be. However, ewes with body scores over 4 tend to have a higher incidence of being barren. Ewes that have a body condition score of less than 3 at mating will respond better to flushing.
What is the average condition score of a sheep?
Most sheep have body condition scores between 2 and 4. A ewe's body condition score will change throughout her production cycle.
What do sheep need to maintain themselves?
Pasture or grass hay is all most sheep need to maintain themselves. Pet sheep or wethers raised for wool should always be fed at a maintenance level. Body condition scoring. Body condition scoring is a valuable management tool that can be used to evaluate the feeding program and the need for changes.
How much energy does an ewe need?
A ewe requires three times as much energy per day in early lactation compared with maintenance. Lactating ewes normally reach their peak in milk production around 3 to 4 weeks after lambing. A loss of body condition can be expected, but this should not be >0.5 units from lambing to weaning. However, if the supply of energy ...
How long does it take for a lamb to grow?
By the time lambs reach eight weeks, fast lamb growth rates will only be maintained if a high quality creep feed is made available.
Can ewes graze after lambing?
If grass supply is insufficient, continue to feed concentrates after lambing (up to a maximum of 1 kg/day of high energy and protein). Weather conditions will need to be monitored as ewes and lambs will not graze when weather conditions are poor.
What is the best food for a lamb?
Feedstuffs high in palatability for young lambs include soybean meal, ground corn, sweet feeds, and alfalfa hay. These feeds should be replaced daily to keep fresh.
Why split ewes by number of lambs?
Splitting ewes by number of lambs nursing is an excellent management technique to minimize feed costs. Ewes rearing single lambs will require less grain supplementation than twin-rearing ewes. Similarly, triplet-rearing ewes could be provided the extra nutrition needed, if separated from other ewes.
What is creep feeding?
Creep Feeding: Creep feeding is the practice of providing young lambs supplemental grain while still nursing the ewe. Thus, creep feeding supplements the milk produced by the ewe and can provide valuable added weight gain.
How is lamb growth determined?
Growth rate of lambs from birth to weaning is largely determined by milk production of the ewe, which emphasizes the importance of good nutritional management during this period. Lactation is also a period in which there is opportunity to control feed costs by feeding ewes according to the number of lambs nursing.
Why is it important to feed lambs early?
Providing feeds early will enhance the lambs’ acceptance to these coarser feeds. As the lamb gets older, intakes and growth rates should increase. Additionally, the proportion of the gain that is derived from dry feed vs. milk increases.
Is it cheaper to mix corn with pelted feed?
Complete feeds are available commercially, which can be convenient, yet expensive. Pelleted supplements to be mixed with corn are generally cheaper, and are also widely available. At weaning, protein requirements of lambs drop to 15-16%.
Can you graft lambs to other ewes?
A feasible alternative is to minimize the number of ewes raising triplets and singles through grafting. There are many methods used to graft orphan lambs to other ewes, with the use of a stanchion the most common. The largest, most aggressive lamb is usually the best candidate to graft. Grafting works best when the lambs to be grafted are similar ...
