[Jacob-list] Feeding Question

[Elizabeth Strub]

You may be able to send a hay sample to your state diagnostic lab for analysis. I know that here in NC we have a state lab that does forage analysis for 10.00. That will give you an idea of what you are working with. If my protein is low, like 6%-7% and my sheep feel thin and they have only been on forage I know that the hay is not sufficient even for maintenance. I have found that it is very hard to make up fall weight loss in the winter. Just not enough nutrition in the forage. But with these kind of results I will go buy a multi stock reasonable priced feed that is 12 % and add that in. I have also fed alfalfa pellets in the grain and straight alfalfa hay with out any problems. I am surprised your sheep and llamas are not eating the alfalfa pellets. I wonder if they have something in them in addition to alfalfa or they are too large. A pain in the butt but you could try soaking them. I am doing that for my 2 old toothless sheep. This is not rocket sheep nutrition science, but if you can, I would not worry and just find a balanced sheep feed and add it in. They can go back to grass in the spring when hopefully you will have some drought relief. When you first get started and you read all this literature about what to do or what can happen if you don't or do do something, you can wonder how any of these sheep survive. When I got my first 4 cheap sheep, I penned them every night, counted their burps, watched their every poop! I just new I would kill them, that is why I started with cheap sheep.well one of those 4 is now 11 years old (the toothless one) and going strong. I will be glad when the grass comes though so his feeding is not so labor intensive. He is not a Jacob, but the other toothless sheep is. 

Elizabeth B. Strub
www.hobbyknobfarm.com



On Dec 28, 2012, at 12:17 PM, Marjorie Schafer <MHSchafer at oglecom.com> wrote:


> Hello,

> 

> We are relatively new Jacob breeders (this is our second year). We live in northern IL, and the drought was very severe here this year. We were lucky to get any hay at all, and paid almost twice what we did last year. However--the quality is EXCEEDINGLY poor. Our year-old hay looks much fresher/greener than this hay just cut a few months ago, and the sheep much prefer it. The new hay is dried out and very stemmy. It looks more like straw than hay.  But it was all we could get. 

> 

> We supplement our ewes with a little bit of grain each day, so I'm not as worried about them--though they are very hungry right now. I worry some about the pregnant ewes.

> 

> But as for the rams--I've read they shouldn't be given grain at all (risk of urinary calculi, among other things). And I'm wondering if there is a way to supplement their nutrition. I've been told that alfalfa pellets can be a good supplement, and we bought a bag of dehydrated alfalfa pellets from our feed mill. But the sheep (and llamas) seem unable to chew them and are not attracted to them at all.

> 

> I know many Jacob breeders do not feed  grain to their Jacobs at all, but given the very poor quality of our hay, I'm just wondering how we're going to get through the winter nutrition-wise. Any thoughts?

> 

> Thank you, and Happy New Year to you all,

> 

> Margie

> Round Barn Jacobs

> Durand, IL

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