Feeding Your Flock - Have a Back-Up Plan

 
 
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  Standing forages | Harvested feeds | Feed testing, analysis and balanced rations are cheap insurance |

Sheep producers need a 365 day plan for feeding their flock. A well managed flock also has a back-up plan for feeding through unexpected periods of dry, wet, or cold weather.

Sheep producers use a combination of harvested feeds for winter and pastures for summer. Well-managed soils, productive pastures and adequate harvested feed supplies are critical when adverse weather hits. Over-grazing pastures severely reduces both quantity and quality of feed for the flock and damages pasture plants. Over-grazing can impact the productivity of pastures for years. When pastures lose healthy, competitive plants weeds move in and bare soils are at risk for wind and water erosion. A productive flock depends on good pastures as well as a supply of stored, harvested feed.

Grazing

In most areas and on many farms there are forages that can be used to extend the grazing season or to fill in when weather conditions impact good grazing. Extended season grazing means the sheep continue to graze on forages after the growing season comes to an end. Commonly hay aftermath or re-growth is used. Harvested grain and forage crop stubble or poor crops can be used. Stands of ungrazed forages can also be found along fence lines and around sloughs. Seeded annuals also can supply very high quality feed for grazing, harvesting or for late season swath grazing. Sheep are able to utilize a wide variety of forage resources.

A visiting producer talked about how he moved his flock of 400 head in a ten-mile radius around his farm to utilize forage resources no one else was using. With portable, electric fencing and a good charger, he kept the sheep in small moveable paddocks. The electric fencing, frequent moving and monitoring discouraged predators. Electric flex netting can work well for mobile paddock fencing though in windier areas the fence needs additional posts for stability. Highly visible electric fencing tape can also be used and is quick to move. Successful temporary electric fencing depends on having a experienced sheep. A flock needs to be trained to recognize and respect electric fences. Unfortunately deer and moose aren't trained and can absolutely wreak havoc on fences. Monitoring, checking fences and being able to make rapid repairs is essential. Portable water supplies, salt and mineral are needed. Night penning and shelter need to be considered for some sheep in some areas. Check the quantity and quality of the forage in the paddock. Making sure the sheep have adequate feed is critical for keeping the sheep in the right paddock. Very few fences keep in hungry sheep. Monitor the body condition of a few select sheep. Watch that water is available and clean. Have a plan for flock and paddock movement. Having a 'plan b' is important when water starts to freeze, if there is any signs of predators, if fencing isn't holding the sheep or if the feed supply changes. In late season grazing start in the furthest paddock from the home farm. Move the grazing flock towards the farm wintering area as the season progresses. Have emergency feed supplies strategically placed for easy access in the case of early snowstorms. There is increased labour in managing late season grazing. Labour adds a cost that needs to be covered by reduced feed and yardage costs. Call a halt to late season grazing as available forage, snow depth, crusting, drifting, or more severe weather starts. Other critical factor in deciding when to change from grazing to feeding is ewe body condition and stage of pregnancy.

When using late season forages - stockpiled standing, in bales or in swathes - be aware that generally the forages are mature and often not high in quality. Mature forages are generally short in protein and energy. For mature ewes in maintenance that quality feed can work. For breeding ewes, ewes in early pregnancy, ewe lambs and yearlings who've weaned their first lambs better quality is necessary. You need to be sure they're getting the nutrients they need to produce healthy lambs in the coming year. Supplementing with grain, good quality hay or silage needs to be considered. Supplementing with grain is usually the easiest addition when forage is in short supply. As forage matures the fibre content increases. For ewes in late pregnancy or for young ewes, they simply can't fit enough mature plant material into their rumens to meet their nutrient requirements. Small body size and late pregnancy reduces rumen space - there's no room for a lot of fibre. Vitamin (A) and mineral levels (Ca, Se etc.) are also usually inadequate. Consider adding a vitamin premix to the grain or mineral mix. Alfalfa hay is a good source of calcium. If you are using greenfeed, grass hay or failed crops, be sure to use a 2:1 (Ca:P) mineral mix.

There is only one way to know the feed value of the forages your sheep are grazing. Sampling stockpiled forages isn't difficult. If you aren't sure how to sample feeds there is an Alberta Agriculture and Forestry video you can watch. On Ropin' the Web search for "feed testing". The "Forage and Grain Feed Testing" video goes through good sampling techniques for harvested feeds that can be applied to swathed and standing forages. Ropin' the Web lists feed and water testing laboratories for information on samples sizes, tests and costs.

Once you know the nutrient content of the feeds you can use SheepBytes ration balancer software to build rations or determine the supplements needed by every group of sheep. SheepBytes is available on-line with a demo version, a training tutorial, and technical information to answer questions on sheep nutrition. It was developed to assist producers make decisions on feeding their sheep and managing feed costs. SheepBytes is not based on developing 'least cost' rations. Rations are developed to meet the needs of a productive flock in a cost-effective way.

Harvested Feeds

In Alberta the grazing season is short. Most flock owners depend on harvested feeds for their flocks for many months of the year. Feeding a flock harvested feed in a corral reduces some of the variables encountered in extended season grazing. When weather conditions bring the grazing season to an end there is a variety of harvested and stored feeds sheep can utilize. It's possible to include a lot of different feeds in sheep rations that really aren't ideal for productive sheep or practical to feed. Always test all feeds, balance rations and be sure you have the ability to handle, store and feed different feedstuffs.

Straws - Pea straw can have 8.5% protein, oat straw averages 4.8% protein and barley straw averages 5.4% protein. Straw can be fed to mature ewes in the maintenance period and the first 15 weeks of gestation. If chopped and mixed with hay it will be consumed better than if both forages are fed from bales. Ewes will select the hay and then the better straw (leaves, grain) and leave the rest. Straw is risky for late pregnancy. Ewe body capacity is small to begin with and developing fetuses further reduce rumen capacity. Condition score ewes regularly when feeding straw-based rations. Consult with a nutritionist if feeding straw - a protein supplement may be necessary. Avoid feeding straw to young ewes who are still growing and trying to maintain a pregnancy.

Screenings & chaff - Chaff is the light residue left after combining - leaves, dust, fine grains etc. Some producers use chaff catchers behind the combine to either spread on the straw swath or gather to drop in piles. Bushel weight can be used to measure the chaff in screenings (when bushel weight is less than 25lb. the chaff level is high and the feeding quality is low). Screenings are the heavier weed seeds and off-type grain kernels removed when grain is cleaned for use as seed or for further processing. Screenings can be an excellent feed source - if used carefully. The quality is variable and samples of all loads of screenings should be taken for analysis. Ergot can be a problem in grain, particularly barley, screenings in wet years. Heating and mould can be a problem if the moisture content of screenings (green seeds) is too high (greater than 13% moisture is a risk). Small weed seeds are often unpalatable and will be left uneaten. Canola screenings need to be processed (hammermilled, or pelleted) before they have much nutritional value for sheep. The high crude fat content in canola screenings can cause digestive upset. With two weeks of gradual adjustment to the feed lambs can do well on diets using canola meals or screenings. Ewes can become too fat on high canola screenings diets. Screenings are used in many good commercial rations.

Whole grain alternates - Corn is being grown more commonly in Alberta. Standing corn is successfully used for late season grazing by sheep. Less mature corn plants provide better quality and more palatable feed for grazing sheep. Cross fencing reduces waste and helps maintain quality forage for the grazing period. Corn grain may be economically viable some years. Check with feed companies for costs and with a nutritionist before including in sheep rations. Feeding any and all grains whole (unprocessed) reduces the risk of digestive upsets. Triticale, rye, wheat, or hull-less barley all can be fed, but with caution. Feeding grains with higher digestible energy than barley or oats increases the risk of grain overload/acidosis even if fed at normal levels. When adding or changing any feed - go slowly. It takes at least a week or more for the rumen bacteria to adjust to new feeds. Wheat can be fed at up to 10% of the total grain diet. At higher levels it can impact rumen function. If you are going to use grains other than ones you have used before - test your grains, have the samples analyzed and build balanced rations.

By-product feeds - There are sources of food processing waste products in some areas - brewers' grains and residues, snack food processing, sugar beet processing, seed cleaners and feed processors etc. Again, feeding by-products requires great care. Digestive upsets are a real risk with some by-product feeds. A feed test is necessary to determine whether or not any unusual feed is a good buy - or whether it will just add health and production costs.

Greenfeed - When feeding greenfeed, it's important to determine whether the feed is straw/grain or a green forage. Mature crops baled for feed are very much different in quality from a baled green forage. It is important to sample and test for the nitrate content of greenfeed. When the nitrate-content is over 1%, the feed must be diluted with other feed that contains no nitrates. The calcium content of cereal greenfeed is very low, therefore adequate mineral supplementation is critical. Greenfeed from mature crops is high in fibre, and should not be fed in late gestation.

Hay and silage - Fermented feeds like haylage and silage are commonly fed to sheep. These high moisture feeds that have been harvested, processed or stored improperly, can cause Listeriosis in sheep. The high moisture content of silages can make it necessary to re-balance rations containing silage for late pregnancy. Ewes carrying multiple lambs have no rumen space for water. Silages, as well as any poor quality forages (mature, heated, moldy), require a feed test to determine feed value. Balancing rations assures that all the protein, energy, micro nutrients, minerals and vitamins are available for you flock.

Feed Testing, Analysis and Balanced Rations are Cheap Insurance

Good nutrition is key to a healthy, happy and productive flock. Find out what is missing in any and all feeds and forages before your lamb crop is affected. Avoid costly 'wrecks' such as open ewes, lambing dystocia, weak or dead lambs, ewes with no milk and slow-growing, poor-doing lambs. Balance rations for each group of sheep based on their nutritional needs. Over-feeding and under-feeding are both costly. Keep your best feed for when your ewes' and lambs' nutrient requirements are highest. Make sure you have enough of each feed to get each group of sheep through every stage of production. Have a good 365 day feed plan and a back-up plan for when the real world interferes.

 
 
 
 
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This document is maintained by Karen Hladych.
This information published to the web on March 5, 2002.
Last Reviewed/Revised on July 28, 2016.