Do the lambs need grain?

[ejano]

The lambs have arrived and settled in nicely, attacking the really nice hay in the rack. I put out three sections of an average sized bale and about half of that was inhaled overnight. I do have grain and measured out about a pound and a half today. The lambs are 50-70 pounds (Tulip is a tiny girl). They went out on grass for about fifteen minutes yesterday and a half- hour today. They'd been on grass before, but nothing like our deep, rich green grass.

 

Most of the resources I have explain how to grow a lamb for market -- I'm not raising them for market but want them to grow strong and healthy. Do I keep on with the grain in the same amounts recommended for market lambs?

 

 

Liz

[Laura L]

The quick answer is no.

 

As long as they have access to good hay and/or grass and mineral & water they do not. The last 5 years I've been completely grain free (except for what the chickens get). Nothing to the sheep or cattle. Everyone finishes on grass.

 

eta: If your lambs were on grain before you got them, I'd gradually wean them off of it.

Laura

[ejano]

The quick answer is no.

 

As long as they have access to good hay and/or grass and mineral & water they do not. The last 5 years I've been completely grain free (except for what the chickens get). Nothing to the sheep or cattle. Everyone finishes on grass.

 

eta: If your lambs were on grain before you got them, I'd gradually wean them off of it.

Laura

Laura, thanks -- that's what I'll do. As their time on pasture increases, I'll ease off the grain.

 

Liz

[Cynthia P]

I hate the answer it depends, but really depends on the quality of the pasture/forage and the body condition of ewes. I usually give my lambs/yearling ewes grain so they grow out quicker. I do not feed the replacement ewe lambs as much as I would a market lamb. They get, depending onthe weather, 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb plus good quality forage

 

Cynthia

[ejano]

I hate the answer it depends, but really depends on the quality of the pasture/forage and the body condition of ewes. I usually give my lambs/yearling ewes grain so they grow out quicker. I do not feed the replacement ewe lambs as much as I would a market lamb. They get, depending onthe weather, 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb plus good quality forage

 

Cynthia

 

Thanks, Cynthia - and you're quite right, it does depend on a great deal. Tulip is very small ( so might need an extra boost. The grass is coming up so rich and green -- they'll have good pasture.

 

Liz

[Bill Fosher]

Rich and green doesn't mean good feed, necessarily. And with limited time on it, they may not be able to get enough of it to meet their nutritional needs. Sheep need about 18 hours a day of grazing, resting, and chewing their cuds to get enough feed out of lush spring pasture. They are eating an awful lot of water these days.

 

You'll need to learn how to body condition score your sheep, and adjust their diets according to their body condition. Grain is a concentrated source of energy that can make up for deficiencies in the forage component of their diets. It's the easiest and surest way of putting weight on sheep. You do need to be careful about mucking around with it -- add it gradually if the animals haven't had it within the last few weeks.

 

So, technically, the answer is that lambs don't necessarily need grain, but your lambs might and we can't tell the answer to that question without putting hands on them.

[ejano]

Rich and green doesn't mean good feed, necessarily. And with limited time on it, they may not be able to get enough of it to meet their nutritional needs. Sheep need about 18 hours a day of grazing, resting, and chewing their cuds to get enough feed out of lush spring pasture. They are eating an awful lot of water these days.

 

You'll need to learn how to body condition score your sheep, and adjust their diets according to their body condition. Grain is a concentrated source of energy that can make up for deficiencies in the forage component of their diets. It's the easiest and surest way of putting weight on sheep. You do need to be careful about mucking around with it -- add it gradually if the animals haven't had it within the last few weeks.

 

So, technically, the answer is that lambs don't necessarily need grain, but your lambs might and we can't tell the answer to that question without putting hands on them.

 

Thanks, Bill, as always for good advice.

 

The vet is coming tomorrow to give them a CD-T shot and I'll ask him to teach me how to assess them.

 

I've been keeping up the grain rations that they'd been getting as I didn't want to stress them by making major changes so soon after the move The person from whom we obtained them gave me a bag of grain so they're getting the same stuff. The hay is different - better quality, I think, and they're getting the same minerals and salt. They're drinking quite a well, but oddly they apparently don't like red, as they'll only drink from the black one. Tonight when they weren't looking, I switched the buckets in their holders and they went right for the black bucket, which was where the red one had been!

 

They are eating about a section and a half of hay a day (Which tells you nothing because you don't know the bale size ) -- the small rectangular bales with six sections. They seem well fed -- they nibble on the grass with rare excitement for a bit then lie down to chew their cud. I don't see any signs of diarrhea or other stresses and they are starting to relax in the new place (though the gas company helicopter flying over tonight was a bit unnerving for all of us!). So far, they seem happy.