SHEEP FEEDING

I. General

A. Ration Should:

1. Providing optimal (not max) production

2. be efficient

3. be economical

4. decrease nutritional disease

II. Energy

A. usually the most limiting factor in sheep nutrition

1. Energy Deficiency

- cessation of growth

- weight loss

- reproductive failure

- decreased survival

- reduced resistance to parasites and disease

III. Protein

A. NPN can be utilized

B. Most important in young, growing animals

IV. Selenium

A. Deficiency = stiff lamb disease (muscular dystrophy)

1. White muscle disease (2 – 8 wks of age) reduced growth. Se supplementation to prevent should not exceed 0.1 ppm of total ration (add to salt/mineral mix). Toxicity occurs when sheep consume more than 2 ppm in diet for a period of time (tetanus like symptoms).

 V. Feeding the Flock

A. 3 Critical Periods

1. Flushing – feeding ewe right before breeding season to increase ovulation rate, but not necessarily # of lambs born. Sheep in good condition will probably not respond to flushing, begin 3 wk prior to breeding

2. last 6 wks of gestation (147 d) developing fetuses – pregnancy toxemia, almost always carrying twins or triplets

3. 1^st 8 wks of lactation. Requirements depend on number of lambs

B. critical periods even more so with accelerated lambing programs – 3 lambings/2 years

VI. Feeding the Lamb

A. Creep Feeding

1. early weaned lambs (90 d normal) < 60 days

2. Fall and winter born lambs

3. Purebred and registered lambs

4. Twin lambs and late lambs

5. drought or range

Creep feed should be very palatable and less than 15% CP (oats, alfalfa, corn, whey, molasses)

Creep lambs as soon after birth as possible

Economical is important question

Pelleted rations are preferred

B. Finishing Lambs

1. Considerations

- level of performance (max VS optimum)

- kind of lamb (meat VS wool breed)

- grain source

- protein source

- cost (of lambs and feed)

Wheat should not make up more than 50% of total grain. If ground, need to decrease dustiness (molasses)

Why Sheep???

- less investment

- complimentary grazing

- enterotoxemia (over-eating disease, pulpy kidney disease)

- under conditions of high CHO intake the bacterium Clostridium perfingens type D multiplies rapidly and produces a toxin

- vaccinate

- Polioencephalomalacia

- occurs most often in feedlot lambs

- Thiamine deficiency – iitiated by rumen-produced thiaminases

- Disoriented, circling, progressive blindness, occasional head pressing