[Jacob-list] grass vs. grain

[Heather Hettick]

I'm not really set up to feed grain conveniently and feed mainly pasture and
grass hay from December to April depending on the weather and condition of
the pasture.  I informally try to flush the flock before breeding season
with extra garden veggies and generally will feed small amounts of various
other plant material throughout the year as treats for the sheep.  Certain
sheep I have love to eat Canadian Thistles and Dandelions as snacks and I
grew turnips and rutabagas especially for them in my garden last year.  They
also like the trimmings of certain non poisonous bushes and the green
sweetcorn stalks that the raccoons destroyed this summer.

After having a case of ketosis two seasons ago and at the suggestion of my
vet, I started adding a small amount of a mixture of pellets and corn to the
ewe's diets twice a day when I check on them in late pregnancy, extending
into early lactation depending on how soon I could get the flock on pasture.
I also like having a grain mix around for catching sheep and occasional
problems like an older ram who started to drop weight last winter and a
semi-rejected lamb I tried unsuccessfully to supplement with creep feed - he
preferred to sneak snacks from behind his mom and she started letting him at
least hang out with her and his sister, while a couple already well-fed twin
ewe lambs decided they liked the creep feed idea.

As my grass hay is a bit old and probably low in nutrients this year, I will
probably start supplementing with grain earlier, but will have to get some
additional feed bowls to prevent my more aggressive ewes from eating most of
it, and of course the ram will have to be confined as he doesn't need much
grain.  So far, this year our pasture has stayed in really good condition
after we had a dry spell in July and August and the sheep are all quite
plump.

I don't know how eating grass vs. grain affects the meat in flavor or other
qualities as I'm not a big lamb eater myself, although we are thinking of
trying one next year.  I have had a couple March born lambs get close to 90
pounds by October, and I usually confine the non breeding ram lambs in the
fall and give them a little grain but hay would be still be their main diet.
They seem to put on weight better for me on pasture, but if I was seriously
into fattening them for market, I might try giving them more grain during
their fall confinement or wethering them all and leaving them out with the
breeding group.  The latter idea is actually my plan for next year's ram
lambs.

Heather Hettick
Moonstruck Jacob Sheep
Creston, OH
hettick.1 at osu.edu