Full Answer
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 should I Feed my sheep before weaning?
For the last several days before weaning, ewes should be fed a low quality grass hay or straw. 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.
Should you flush ewes before breeding?
Mature ewes respond better to flushing than yearlings. You can flush ewes by feeding them 0.5 to 1 lb. of grain per day or by moving them to a better pasture. If flushing is continued through the breeding season, it may enhance embryo survival during early pregnancy. Ewes should not be bred on pastures that contain a high percentage of legumes.
Is it necessary to feed grain to ewe lambs?
It is often necessary to feed some grain to get ewe lambs and doe kids big enough for breeding. At the same time, ewe and doe replacements should not be fed for maximum gain, as this has been shown to be detrimental to future milk production.
What do you feed sheep before breeding?
Although ewes are bred, the fetuses are only growing a small amount during the first and second trimester. Ewes can be fed on pasture or if in confinement, a good quality grass hay. In both situations, ewes should be fed a sheep mineral and vitamin mix to complement the nutrient content of the forages fed.
How do you prepare a ewe for breeding?
Flushing is the practice of increasing the plane of nutrition prior to the breeding season in order to encourage ewes to produce twins. This is generally done by increasing the energy in the ewe ration and should start approximately one month prior to introducing the ram to the ewes.
What to feed ewes before lambing?
Introduce Ewe Nuts at a level of 250g/day and build up (to approximately 1kg/head/day) over the six-week period before lambing. Together with good quality hay or silage, this will provide the ewe with all the essential protein, digestible energy and vitamins and minerals she requires for healthy lambs.
What nutrients do pregnant ewes need?
Most feeds will be sold with a declaration of crude protein percentage which should be at least 16-18% in a pre-lambing ration. Protein quality is extremely important so ensure that the ration contains good quality ingredients, ideally soyabean meal, as the main protein source followed by rapeseed meal.
How do you induce heat in sheep?
Inducing Estrus Sheep can be induced to cycle out of season with a treatment of progesterone followed by pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG). To get good results, a period of progesterone priming is required. The PMSG causes heat and ovulation.
Which season is the best time for mating of sheep?
Specifically, sheep are short day breeders, breeding at times of the year when the day length is shorter and night time longer. Thus, ewes are normally sexually active (show 17 day oestrous cycles) mid-Autumn into Winter, and sexually inactive (anoestrous) from late winter through to autumn.
How much feed should ewes pre lambing?
As a rule of thumb feed single bearing ewes 30% less than twin bearing ewes building up to a maximum of 0.5kg in the week before lambing. Triplet bearing ewes should be fed 30% more than those carrying twins up to a maximum of 1kg prior to lambing.
What do sheep need before lambing?
In most cases ewes will need to be fed a compound feed from six to eight weeks pre-lambing, and certainly in the four week period leading up to lambing ewes will require a carefully balanced, high-density, low volume diet to enable the rapid development of the unborn lambs.
How much should I feed pregnant ewes?
A pregnant ewe will eat a maximum of 1.6kg DM a day, however this will decrease as the lambs grow and reduce the amount of space within the abdomen. It is also affected by the type of forage fed. Ewes will eat much less straw and hay but can reach 1.6kg if fed high quality silage.
What do I feed my pregnant sheep?
In the final 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, ewes need good feed to keep up energy levels. If grass is short you need to add supplements to their diet, such as good quality hay, silage, multi-nuts and/or grain. Low grass means a lowered protein intake, so look for feed that has high protein (16-17%).
What is the most important nutrient required by ewes during late pregnancy?
Ideally feed 17-18% crude protein. Use high quality protein sources to enhance milk output on both grass and preserved forages. Soya bean meal is an excellent quality protein source. Feed a Ewe Nut with optimum levels of Cereals (barley, wheat, maize) in order to maximise energy intakes.
Is Lucerne good for pregnant sheep?
High intake of lucerne pastures or feeding of other high quality diets during early pregnancy may increase embryo mortality, negating any benefit of improved nutrition on ovulation rate in ewes.
How do you get sheep to mate?
Give the rams and ewes a few weeks together to mate. Eventually, the rams will start to mount the ewes because the ewes are in heat and will be exuding a mating hormone. If the ewe is receptive, she will stand for mating. In most cases, a ewe will become pregnant after she's mated 2 or 3 times.
How do you flush a ewe?
Flushing is generally accomplished by providing ewes with fresh pasture, supplemental harvested forage, or up to one pound of grain per ewe daily, depending on environmental stress (time of year), availability of forage, and body condition of the ewes.
How do you sponge a ewe?
1:484:14Synchronise lambing | Sponging Ewes | Stimovar | PMSG - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd upwards. And it should go in definitely go in easy for any sheep that had lands. Before if theyMoreAnd upwards. And it should go in definitely go in easy for any sheep that had lands. Before if they do if they're hobbits. And you probably have to break the hymen and that's not a nice job.
How do you prepare sheep for Tupping?
0:184:20Preparing Ewes for Tupping - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe wean our lambs. From I use about mid-august. The use of work really hard all summer reared theirMoreWe wean our lambs. From I use about mid-august. The use of work really hard all summer reared their lambs. So they're likely to be a little bit low in condition.
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 long should I feed my ewes after lactation?
After the first 60 days of lactation, you should reduce the amount of feed you are feeding because all it will accomplish is making the ewes fat.Most ewes will lose weight during lactation. Weight loss during lactation affects protein requirements. The more weight ewes lose, the higher their protein requirement will be.
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.
How much grain should I feed my ewes?
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. If either nutrient is fed below the requirement, milk yields and lamb gain will be reduced.
What should I feed my ewes before weaning?
For the last several days before weaning, ewes should be fed a low quality grass hay or straw. 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.
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 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.
What are the nutrients that are needed for a lamb 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.
Why Breed Sheep?
Breeding sheep can be a fun, personally rewarding, and profitable endeavor. But like with anything else, there are lots of factors to consider and some risks involved.
Breed Selection: Meat Sheep
Lamb prices in the US remain steadily good, so breeding sheep for the purpose of selling lambs can be profitable; selling lambs should at least offset the costs of your hobby farm sheep flock. (Selling lambs is a good choice if you can manage to actually haul them off somewhere – let’s face it, they’re adorable!)
Breed Selection: Fiber (Wool) Sheep
If you're interested in raising and breeding sheep for the purpose of wool production, you'll want to select a breed of sheep that is particularly good at producing an excellent fleece.
Breeding Sheep
Before we get started on any specific information, let me just make a couple of points.
How Many Rams Do I Need?
Generally, one healthy, mature ram should be enough for 30 ewes. If more than 30 ewes are to be bred, it's best to separate the ewes into groups of 30 or less and run one ram in each group.
Getting Started Breeding Sheep
First thing's first: If you want lambs, you'll need to expose your ewes to a ram. The obvious point of this "exposure" is to allow the ram to mount the ewes and breed them. Unless the ram is a dud or the ewes are too old or are unhealthy, these couplings should result in pregnant ewes.
Must I Vaccinate?
No, vaccination is a form of risk management, and it's up to you. Consult with your vet or an experienced herds-person about your flock if you're not sure.
Why should pregnant ewe lambs be fed separately?
Because pregnant ewe lambs and doelings are still growing, they have higher nutritional requirements. They are also less aggressive at the feed trough. For these reasons, they should be fed and managed separately from mature females. In fact, they should not be mixed with the mature flock until they have weaned their first offspring.
How much should ewe lambs and doe kids be before breeding?
Ewe lambs and doe kids should achieve approximately two-thirds of their mature weight (at the start of the breeding seasons) before being bred. It is often necessary to feed some grain to get ewe lambs and doe kids big enough for breeding.
Why breed ewes?
One of the most compelling reasons to consider breeding ewe lambs and doe kids is genetic improvement.
How long do ewes have offspring?
With good management and nutrition, producers can successfully breed ewes and does to produce offspring at approximately one year ...
Can ewe lambs be mated?
They should be bred to males from the same (or smaller) breed. Nor should they be mated to large males that could cause them injury. Because pregnant ewe lambs and doelings are still growing, they have higher nutritional requirements.
Can ewe lambs conceive?
Ewe lambs born in the fall are not likely to conceive until the next fall. It makes sense to breed ewe lambs and doe kids away from the main flock, as they are less competitive for the male’s service. Ewe lambs and doe kids should not be bred to males with large birth weights or heavy front-ends.
Do ewes have lower conception rates?
At the same time, ewe lambs and doe kids have lower conception rates, give birth to fewer offspring, produce less milk, and are more likely to experience problems at the time of birthing. In addition, there may be sacrifices in growth.
Tips for ram preparation
Lambing potential will be maximised if rams are able to work and have viable sperm during the joining period, so they need to be in the best condition possible.
Tips for ewe preparation
If ewes are in the right condition at joining, their ovulation rate and the chance of conceiving twins increases. Ewe nutrition is paramount here.
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