MANAGING THE SHEEP
ENTERPRISE UNDER
DROUGHT CONDITIONS
Tracey Renelt, Extension Livestock
Educator, Kingsbury County
Jim Krantz, Extension Livestock
Educator, Miner County
Jeff Held, SDSU Extension Sheep Spec.
MANAGEMENT
ALTERNATIVES
• Destock
• Early wean
• Supplement
• Alternative feeds
“How much should I feed my
ewes?”
“What should I feed to them
to meet their nutritional
requirements?
DEPENDS ON:
• Available forage:
– Quantity
– Quality
– Economics
• Nutrient requirements:
– Stage of production
– Nutritional status
– Environment
EWE NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS
154 lb ewe
(NRC, 1985)
Stage of Production DM Intake TDN
CP
Maintenance
2.6
1.5
.25
Flushing
4.0
2.3
.36
Early Gest
3.1
1.7
.29
Late Gest.
4.0
2.3
.42
Lactation (single)
5.5
3.6
.73
Lactation (twin)
6.2
4.0
.92
EWE WINTER FEEDING
• Winter grazing gestating ewes:
– Protein more limiting than energy.
– Energy supplements are cost effective when ewes
enter winter in good condition and ample forage.
– Protein supplements are cost effective for ewes in
poor body condition and need to gain weight or with
reduced forage intake.
• 0.33 lb of a 20% supplement
• 0.20 lb of a 34% supplement
( Summary by Montana State Univ)
CORN AS A SUBSTITUTE
• Forage supply is:
– Limited
– Unavailable
– Too costly
• Heavily dependant on economics
• High fiber co-products may be better for
forage replacement
CORN AS A SUBSTITUTE
Grain
Alfalfa Hay Brome Hay
(60% TDN) (56% TDN)
SorghumSudan Hay
(56% TDN)
Prairie
Hay
(48% TDN)
Ear Corn
(82% TDN)
1.4
1.5
1.5
1.7
Cracked Corn
(91% TDN)
1.5
1.6
1.6
1.9
Whole
Shelled Corn
(88% TDN)
1.4
1.6
1.6
1.8
(Values based on NRC, 1996)
VALUE
Hay $/ton
Ear
Corn
(82% TDN)
Cracked Corn
(91% TDN)
Whole Shelled
Corn
(88% TDN)
$/bu
40
1.73
1.92
1.86
60
2.60
2.88
2.79
80
3.47
3.85
3.72
100
4.33
4.80
4.65
120
5.20
5.77
5.58
(Values based on NRC, 1996)
Alternative Feeds in South
Dakota
•Dry-milling corn by-products
•Wet-milling corn by-products
•Soybean hulls
•Beet pulp
•Wheat midds
Soybean Hulls
- High fiber feedstuff which can make up at least
50% of diet dry matter
- Best utilized with a forage based ration
- In 2002 a group of ewes at SDSU were fed 5 lb
of pelleted soyhulls + 1 lb of long stemmed hay
- Low- to medium-quality forage is needed to
maintain rumen function and slow passage rate
Soybean Hulls
Nutrient Composition:
TDN (%)
NEm (Mcal/lb)
NEg (Mcal/lb)
Crude Protein (%)
Crude Fiber (%)
Crude Fat (%)
Calcium-High
Phosphorus-moderate
77.0
.84
.55
12.2
9.0 min.
38.0 max.
0.5 min.
Soybean Hulls
Can replace corn on a one-to-one basis for
ewes consuming low- and mediumquality forages
When fortified with protein, soybean hulls
are an excellent energy supplement for
low-quality forages
1 lb of hulls can replace:
1.4 lb moderate-quality hay
Dry Milling Feed Products
• Distiller’s Grains (Wet or Dry)
• Thin Stillage (Sweet Water)
• Condensed Distiller’s Solubles (Syrup)
• Distiller’s Grains with Solubles (DDGS)
(Wet or Dry)
DDGS
-Safe feedstuff due to high fiber content
-Good source of essential nutrients
-Supplemental protein source for ewes
-lactation performance similar to SBM
-Energy density is equal to corn
-Recommended at 20% of dry matter intake for lactating dairy cows
(max at 30%)
-Must consider economics
**Refer to ExEx 2022 for more management tips on feeding the ewe
flock with limited forage availability. For sample rations use those in
Table 4 and 5 ExEx 2022, substitute DDGS for SBM if desired.
DDGS Economics
• SBM vs DDGS for protein supplement
– 44.8% vs 29% CP, $200 vs $105/ton
• Cost for SBM/lb CP (DM basis) = 22.3 cents
• Cost for DDGS/lb CP (DM basis) = 19.1 cents
– (Assume 90% Dry Matter)
– To offer a ewe an additional 0.2 lb/day of CP
(DM basis) it would require:
• SBM= 0.45lb (As-fed basis) = 0.045 cents
• DDGS= 0.70lb (As-fed basis) = 0.039 cents
– For a 154 lb ewe fed 6 lb of feed (4% of body weight)
during lactation the DDGS would make up 12.5 % of
the ration. Well within the recommended feeding level.
Recommendations for DDGS
use in the ewe flock
Late Gestation (154 lb ewes)
- add 0.1 lb (DM) of crude protein = 0.37 lb DDGS
(similar to recommendations for winter grazing research at
Montana State Univ.)
Lactation (154 lb ewes)
- add 0.2 lb (DM) of crude protein = 0.75 lb DDGS
-Rear twin bearing ewes separate and use best forage to
improve milk production/lamb survival. The crude protein
needs and energy needs are much higher compared to single
bearing ewes.
-By using DDGS for protein supplementation it also is serving
to replace some forage. Since the energy is similar to corn, for
every 1lb of DDGS replaces 1.4 lb or more hay. (See
substitution table in slide 8)
Nutrient Composition
Nutrient
Corn
grain
Soybean
meal
CDS
DDGS
DM, %
89
90
25-30
85-90
CP, %
9
48
10-15
25-32
Fat, %
4
2
5-10
10-15
Will vary by:
Differences in type, hybrid, and quality of the grain
Efficiency of starch conversion
Differences in processing techniques
Minerals - DDGS
• Low calcium
• High phosphorus
• High potassium
• High sulfur
Wet Milling Feed Products
• Corn gluten feed (wet or dry)
• Corn gluten meal (dry)
• Corn germ (dry)
• Steep liquor (wet)
Corn Gluten Feed
Nutrient
Wet CGF
Dry CGF
DM (%)
42-44
90-92
Crude protein (%)
14-22
21-22
NEm (Mcal/lb)
.96-.99
.87
NEg (Mcal/lb)
.65
.57
TDN (%)
90
78
Fat (%)
3.0-5.0
2.0-3.3
Crude fiber (%)
7.0-8.4
8.0-8.4
Corn Gluten Feed
• Good protein and energy source for cattle on
low- or medium-quality forages
• Relatively high in UIP (75%)
• Hay serve as a roughage source in growing diets
(up to 40% of diet DM)
Beet Pulp
• Can replace 15 to 25% of forage DM
• Dried beet pulp can be included up to 35% of
dietary DM
• Higher levels will reduce intake, but feed
efficiency will be similar
Beet Pulp
Nutrient
DM (%)
Wet Beet Pulp
28.0
Crude protein (%)
9.21
NEm (Mcal/lb)
NEg (Mcal/lb)
0.80
0.52
TDN (%)
Crude fiber (%)
74.1
18.2
High calcium
Low phosphorus
Wheat Midds
• Excellent source of protein (DIP) and energy
• Highly digestible fiber
• Generally a safe feedstuff due to high fiber
characteristics
• Nice addition to creep diets
– Storage is a concern
Wheat Midds
Nutrient
DM (%)
Crude protein (%)
NEm (Mcal/lb)
NEg (Mcal/lb)
TDN (%)
Fat (%)
Crude fiber (%)
Wheat Midds
87-90
17-20
.82-.85
.50
72-74
3.5-3.8
10.5-11.2
CONSIDERATIONS
• Product consistency
• Freight
• Handling
– Cubes, cakes, pellets, meal
• Minerals
– Ca:P, S
SUMMARY
• Consider objectives:
– Quality and quantity of available forage
– Economics
– Nutrient requirements of ewes
• Consider feeding alternative feeds
• Analyze feeds for nutrients and safety
• Remember water quality is critical
NITRATES
• Converted to nitrites
• Interferes with hemoglobin
• Leads to asphyxiation
• Symptoms:
– Rapid pulse
– Quickened respiration
– Staggers/apparent blindness
– Abortions
NITRATES
• Depends on degree of fertilization
• Generally found low in plant
– 0” – 12” – extremely high
– 12” – 24” – low to moderately high
• Ensiling, but not curing, will help reduce
levels
– 20-60% reduction if properly ensiled
– Be aware of silo gasses!
NITRATES
• Don’t harvest for 5 days after most recent
rain
• Alfalfa, timothy, brome, and native
grasses are apparently not affected
• Supplement vitamin A
• Check water!
Nitrate Nitrogen
Comment
0.00 - 0.10
Safe to feed
0.10 - 0.15
Safe for non-pregnant; < 50% of
DM for pregnant
0.15 – 0.20
< 50% of DM for all; use caution
for pregnant
0.20 – 0.35
< 40% of DM for non-pregnant;
do not feed to pregnant
0.35 – 0.40
< 25% of DM for non-pregnant;
do not feed to pregnant
> 0.40
Toxic – do not feed
USING HIGH HITRATE FEEDS
• Toxicity is related to amount and rate of
ingestion
• Accumulator plants include:
– Oat (wheat) hay, sudangrass and sorghums, corn
stalks, crop residue
– Kochia, pigweed, pigeon grass, thistle
• Contact your county educator to have samples analyzed for
nitrogen nitrate level and forage quality
MORE INFORMATION
• http://ars.sdstate.edu/extbeef
• http://sdces.sdstate.edu/drought
• http://www.state.sd.us/doa/drought.htm
• County extension educator offices