Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
Chapter 10
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Unit 10 Objectives:
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Outline life-cycle feeding programs for sheep
Knowledge of nutrient needs and additive
options
Understand nutrient related diseases and
disorders
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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
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Ewes are most important to sheep operations
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Produce wool
Raise lambs
Both greatly influenced by nutrition
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
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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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
 Parasite problems are less and less severe
 Stocking rate can be higher
 Don’t need expensive facilities
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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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
 High quality pastures are a must
 Parasite control is critical, risk for infestation is high
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Feed Requirements
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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)
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Poor quality hay = more grain supplementation
Feeding for Maintenance
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Mature ewes (3-8 yrs)
 Feed enough to maintain physiological function from
weaning until 15 wks gestation
 Prevent weight loss in previous lactation
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
 Pasture is adequate for maintaining ewes, if good
quality is available
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Feeding & Care at Breeding Time
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Remove ewes from pasture ~2 wks before breeding
season
 Some research indicates hormone interferences with
reproductive success while on legume pastures
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Begin to condition the ewes in order to bring them
into breeding about the same time and shorten
lambing window
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Feeding after Breeding
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Gestation = 147-150d
First 3.5 mos
 Maintain body condition with good pasture and/or hay
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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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Rations may vary due to time of lambing
Pasture Ewe Nutrition
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Present and previous stocking rate of pasture greatly
affects nutritional content
 Overgrazed pastures are unproductive and unpalatable
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Pasture forages
 Grass plants
 Utilize a mixture of cool/warm season grasses
 Legumes
 Can provide higher protein source than mature
grasses
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
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Pregnancy Disease
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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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Prevention
 Increase energy content prior to lambing
 Maintain proper body condition
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Treatment
 Administer molasses, propylene glycol, or dextrose
solution
 If exhibited by a group of ewes, add ¼ to ½ lb of
molasses to diet
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Feeding the Lactating Ewe
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Nutritional requirements are 2-3x greater than
maintenance
Ewes w/ twin lambs produce 20-40% more milk than
singles, nutritional requirements adjust accordingly
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
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Splitting the amount fed/feeding decreases acidosis
 Nursing 1 lamb = feed 1x/d
 Nursing 2 lambs = feed 2x/d etc.
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Ensure proper mineral supplementation
Feeding Lambs
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New life
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Must nurse w/in first hr
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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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
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Access to dry feed & water
Feeding Market Lambs
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Early lambs
 Healthy lambs will begin eating dry feed at 10d of age
 Creep feeding is recommended to increase weaning wts
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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 75100lbs (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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
 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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
Reduces cost/lb gain
 Keep rations vit fortified to reduce diseases,
improve immune response
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 Late
lambs
 Good pasture is key
 Top lambs can be marketed right off pasture
 remaining lambs can be fed
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Enterotoxemia in Nursing Lambs
 Overeating
disease
 Usually affects the largest, fastest gaining
lambs
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
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Feeding Replacement Ewe Lambs
 Breeding
ewes as lambs to lamb at 1 yr of
age (7-8 mos old)
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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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
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Control diet to minimize over conditioning
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Miscellaneous
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Urea
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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
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Chlorotet/Oxytet in creep rations for nursing lambs &
finishing rations improves gain & efficiency
 Best response under stress conditions
 Be aware of feeding rates
Unit 10: Sheep Feeding
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Bovatec for Coccidiosis control
Ralgro
 Results inconsistent
 3-5% improvement in gains in nursing & feeder lambs
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Ammonium sulfate or chloride
 .5% inclusion minimizes urinary calculi