Johnson Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Sorry if this is a dumb question; Can Barbados live on dried whole corn as well as alfalfa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Whole corn cannot be the sole diet for sheep. It's too low in protein and fiber and too high in starch. The sheep would die of acidosis. It can be part of the diet, probably no more than a third of the dry matter before you start running into problems. It's commonly used as an energy supplement in ewes and as the basis of a fattening diet for lambs. If you are going to introduce your sheep to it, do so very gradually, starting with no more than 1/4 pound per head per day and gradually building up over the course of three to four weeks to a pound. Beyond that, you need to be very careful to ensure that they are digesting it well and not getting sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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