Proper nutrition is the basis of productivity for any farm animal. Is it possible, having improved the feeding conditions, to turn sheep into a main source of income? Naturally, yes. With proper feeding and keeping the sheep, the owner will be able to sell meat, young animals, wool and animal milk. If you balance the diet, then the cattle will appreciate the gain and increased productivity.
Diet for sheep at different times of the year
Food in ruminants in winter and summer has its own differences. There are general recommendations from livestock specialists on the preparation of rations for the warm or cold season. An important role here can be played by the area where the owner lives with cattle, the availability of ingredients and the breed of sheep.
In general, feeding and keeping sheep does not cause difficulties for the owner, but exceptions are possible here. Beginners in livestock can not always immediately understand the diet and balance it. In this case, it is better to consult a veterinarian who specializes in small cattle, or from a livestock specialist from the nearest farm. You need to understand that the diet for feeding Romanov sheep will be slightly different from the nutrition of fat tail breeds.
At any time of the year, animals must be given mineral and vitamin supplements. Chalk, salt and meat and bone meal are especially popular among farmers. The norms for giving drugs are selected individually for different groups of sheep. It is advisable to always keep salt in special feeders. Or you can buy special briquettes - mineral licks, which are useful for goats and sheep. In this case, the animals themselves will determine how much salt they need for normal life, and receive it.
Spring Feeding
At this time, many animals lack vitamins. If in the southern regions sheep are already starting to be driven to pastures, then in the north there is still snow. Any animals need exercise, but many owners do not allow pets to walk through the snowdrifts. Feeding sheep in the stall period is different from grazing, so the recommendations for the southern and northern regions for spring are not the same.
In areas where heat has already arrived, the concentration of concentrates can be reduced. In the morning, before the pasture to the pasture, the sheep are fed a small amount of hay. This is done to prevent atony and tympanum. Often in a pasture, sheep eagerly attack the grass and eat it more than they need. The body has not yet fully adapted to summer nutrition after winter, so the scar stops and the animal begins to bloat. Very often, such cases result in the death of part of the flock.
In the northern regions, animals must be offered compound feed or a grain mixture. In addition to this diet, hay, sometimes silage or oilcake, is given. The peculiarity of feeding sheep in the northern regions is the obligatory giving them preparations with vitamins E and D3. Due to the lack of walking, animals are deficient in sunlight. It is recommended to give them fish oil, it will help cope with vitamin deficiency.
If a deficiency of selenium in the feed is recorded in the area, then it is necessary to give it additionally. Veterinary experts recommend injectable drugs, as they have a faster effect. It is necessary to put products containing selenium once every 3-4 months.
Summer feeding
At this time of the year, the flock is usually taken out for grazing. The basis of the diet for feeding sheep at this time is nutritious young grass. Lactating females need to eat about 8-10 kg per day, up to 7 kg for other categories. Grass in this period can be up to 90% of the diet. But in the morning the animals need to be given some hay. If this is not done, then a scar may stand in the pasture of the sheep. This is deadly, especially if the animals walk without a shepherd who would provide first aid.
Feeding sheep and goats during the period of gestation should include vitamins and minerals, including in the summer. If this is not done, then the lamb may be born weak and nonviable. Such kids eat poorly and hardly gain weight. Sheep that are poorly fed during pregnancy are more likely to have miscarriages.
In order for the animals to get enough grass, it is advisable to regularly change the place of grazing. Usually the flock is driven out into the meadow at 6-7 a.m., and only launched in the evening. If there are no sources of water near the pasture, then you need to take care of the supply of fluid. Some owners simply teach the flock to come home for lunch. Sheep will be able to relax a bit, eat grain and drink plenty.
Up to 500 g of compound feed is added to dairy females in the diet, the rest is about 100-200 g. If the owner has a lot of vegetables, they can be given to sheep. Especially useful for them are fodder beets, squash, pumpkin, potatoes. You need to start introducing new ingredients into the diet with 200-300 g per day, gradually increasing the rate.
Autumn Feeding
At this time, the nutritional value of grass drops markedly, in the diet increase the proportion of grain mixtures for sheep. Feeding the lambs is also changing. If in the summer young growth could eat only grass and a little grain, now the proportion of concentrates is increasing. Animals begin to accustom to hay - the main food during the stall period.
Autumn is the time of harvest, so the owners introduce a lot of different vegetables to the diet of their pets. But we must not forget that sheep are ruminants. This means that their digestion is directly related to the microorganisms that inhabit the scar. In order to grow bacteria that can process a certain type of food, it will take 21 days. Therefore, new feeds need to be introduced little by little, gradually increasing their share in the diet. If, for example, potato is not enough for a flock for 3 weeks, then you do not need to give it. Or you can enter it in the diet of a limited group of sheep: fattening lamb, young animals or dairy females.
Even if the owner gives the animals enough healthy vegetables, hay and grain, he should not forget about vitamins during feeding. The diet of sheep must include salt, chalk and other ingredients. After the termination of the grazing period, the flock is usually treated from helminths.
Feeding in the winter
In the cold season, sheep need a particularly nutritious diet. Most of the energy spent on maintaining body temperature, this is due to the fact that animals are often kept in cold sheds. Winter feeding of sheep must necessarily include a sufficient number of concentrates. If this is not done, then animals can freeze to death.
In winter, hay should always be in the feeders so that cattle can eat it freely. Vegetables are also preferably not excluded from the diet. They are especially important for dairy sheep, as they need a lot of liquid to produce milk. If the female needs to be run before lambing, then, on the contrary, they stop giving vegetables to her.
In winter, it is very important to properly organize flock watering. It is unacceptable to give sheep ice-cold liquid. In some females, very cold water can cause miscarriage. Moreover, animals need additional energy to warm ice drinks, which they will receive by eating a large amount of feed.
In winter, it is permissible to bring mixed fodder to 600–700 g for dairy sheep, and to other categories up to 400 g. All animals are hung with salt licks in free access, and chalk is added to grain mixtures.
Diet for rams
If the owner takes care of the reproduction of sheep in his herd, then he must establish proper feeding. Sheep needs good nutrition to maintain sexual function. However, care must be taken to ensure that the producer does not become fat, since he may have problems with insemination. Everyone knows how important sheep feeding is, but some owners forget about sheep.
During the period when there are no incidents planned, producers are given at least 2 kg of good hay. It is advisable to feed the ram vegetables, it is enough from 2 to 3 kg. Concentrates in the diet should be 400-600 g, depending on the live weight of the animal.
In a random period, the need for nutrients from the manufacturer increases. Hay ram give plenty, but not less than 1.5-2 kg. The grain mixture or feed is adjusted to 1 kg. It is also advisable to give the cake to the manufacturer. It begins to be introduced into the diet 2-3 weeks before the random period, gradually bringing the daily norm to 200 grams. It is also advisable to give the producer vegetables, bran, eggs or cottage cheese. Chalk and salt must be present in the diet.
Diet for ewes
Females should receive an enhanced diet during pregnancy. After childbirth, the sheep’s nutritional needs increase even more, so nutrition is made even more high-calorie. It is very important to monitor the quality of feed during this period, unverified food can cause miscarriage and even death of the animal.
Every day, the expectant mother should eat at least a kilogram of hay. It is advisable to give the ewe a mixture of forbs and legumes. If the farmer is not rich, then part of the hay can be replaced with high-quality straw. Also, the diet of the ewe can be varied in advance by prepared brooms from tree branches.
During pregnancy, the female can be given up to 3.5 kg of vegetables. However, just prior to giving birth, juicy feed is recommended to limit or eliminate in order to avoid swelling of the udder. Concentrates give from 300 to 500 g. Sheep feeding during pregnancy should be full, therefore, it necessarily includes a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. To prevent postpartum edema, the salt lick is removed 3 weeks before lambing.
Diet for young animals
Feeding rates for sheep and lambs are different. Immediately after childbirth, you need to drink the baby with colostrum. If within 60 minutes the lamb does not receive it, then he will have very poor immunity. This is fraught with small weight gain, persistent illnesses and other problems.
The owners decided to grow lambs under the uterus. Even if the sheep brought several babies, then, as a rule, she does not have problems with their feeding. If the mother didn’t start lactating for some reason, then her cubs can be given to another female. Sometimes the owner feeds the lambs artificially with cow's milk or goat's milk. Newborn babies are watered about 5 times a day.
In 2-3 months young growth is taught to grain, oilcake, hay. As soon as the lambs eat the concentrates well, they will be gradually removed from the milk. Usually by this age the ewes themselves beat them off the udder. In summer, young animals are driven out to pasture, there, on the example of adult animals, they learn to eat green mass.
Fattening Ram
Feeding sheep to increase body weight implies a higher calorie menu. In order to maximize slaughter weight, fattening animals are transferred to bean hay. It is given up to 1 kg per day. It is possible to add other high-quality hay to the diet. In order for fattening to take less time, nutritious silage begins to be given to rams, in some cases its amount can reach up to 5 kg.
From vegetables, emphasis is placed on industrial beets or potatoes, which are sometimes cooked. Feeding pumpkin before slaughter is undesirable, as it is able to give meat and lard a yellowish color. If it is included in the diet, then in small quantities. Sheep is also offered grain, mainly barley, peas and corn.
Naturally, this diet is approximate. Exact standards depend on the breed of the ram, its age and season. For example, in the summer the flock is almost all the time in the pasture, so animals need less food.
Feeding schedule
If the owner wants to get the maximum profit from his animals, then he should take good care of them. Not the least role in the maintenance is played by the observance of a proper livestock nutrition schedule . During the period of table keeping, sheep are fed 3 times a day: in the morning, afternoon and evening. The food delivery time must be strictly observed, deviations from the schedule of more than 30-60 minutes are not allowed. Animals get used to the regime of the day, so if something is broken in him, then they have stress. Such conditions lead to a decrease in the milk and meat productivity of flocks.
In the summer, animals can be transferred to two meals a day. Usually in the morning the sheep are given a small amount of hay, and then driven to pasture. In the evening, the flock returns home, here I offer animals and hay, and grain mixtures with vitamins. Some owners also feed the sheep for lunch. In this case, at about 12-14 hours, animals come from the pasture, drink water, eat and go back.
Veterinarian's advice
In order for the sheep to always be healthy, you need to use only high-quality feed. In the pasture season, the main food is grass, but the diet should not consist only of it. For good health and proper development, sheep need to eat grain and vitamin-mineral mixtures.
Nutrition is especially important for pregnant females. The food absorbed by them goes not only to maintain their own body, but also to develop a healthy fetus. If a sheep during pregnancy receives everything necessary, then her birth almost always passes without complications.