Feedstuffs for sheep and lambs


• While grass (pasture) is the most natural diet for sheep and lambs, a sheep's nutritional requirements can be met by feeding a variety of feedstuffs. The rumen is a very adaptable organ.
  
  Feed ingredients can substitute for one another so long as the sheep's nutritional requirements are being met and dangerous nutritional imbalances are not created. Feeding programs should take into account animal requirements, feed availability, and costs of nutrients.
  
  

• Pasture, forbs, and browse
  Pasture, range, forbs, and browse are usually the primary and most economical source of nutrients for sheep and lambs, and in many cases, all that a sheep needs to meet its nutritional requirements. Pasture is high in energy, protein, and palatability when it is in a vegetative state. However, it can have a high moisture content when it is growing rapidly, and sometimes it can be difficult for high-producing animals to eat enough grass to meet their nutrient requirements (for maximum productivity).
  
  As pasture plants mature, palatability, digestibility, and nutritive value decline, thus it is important to rotate and/or clip pastures to keep plants in a vegetative state. Forbs usually have higher digestibility and crude protein levels than grasses at similar stage of maturity.
  
  Sheep are excellent weed eaters and will often choose to eat weeds over grass. Because of their preference for weeds, sheep can be used to control invasive or noxious weeds, such as leafy spurge, knapweed, and kudzu.

• Hay
  Hay is forage that has been mowed (cut) and cured (dried) for use as livestock feed. It is usually the primary source of nutrients for sheep during the winter or dry season. Hay varies tremendously in quality and while hay quality is affected by plant species, it is determined mostly by the maturity of the plants when they were harvested for hay. Proper harvesting and storage is necessary to maintain nutritional quality of hay. The only way to know the nutritive value of hay is to have it analyzed at a forage testing laboratory.
  
  Download list (PDF) of certified forage testing laboratories =>

  Hay is a moderate source of protein and energy for sheep and lambs. While good grass hays usually have as much energy as legume hays, legumes have 50 to 75% more protein and three times as much calcium. However, a good quality grass hay will be a better source of nutrients than a low or medium-quality legume hay if it is more digestible. The important thing about hay is to feed the right hay at the right time.
  
  A decent grass hay is usually more than adequate for ewes during maintenance and in early to mid-gestation. A mixed grass-legume hay can be fed to ewes in late gestation to meet their increased calcium requirements. A pure legume hay should be saved for lactation due to its higher level of protein and calcium. If a grass hay is fed during late gestation or lactation, it will be necessary to provide an additional source of calcium to pregnant ewes and supplemental calcium and protein to lactating ewes.
  

  Grasses	Legumes
  Bermuda grass  Bromegrass Kentucky bluegrass  Native grasses  Orchardgrass  Reed canarygrass Ryegrasses  Tall fescue  Timothy	Alfalfa  Birdsfoot trefoil Cow peas  Lespedeza  Peanut  Red clover  Soybean  White clover/Ladino Vetch

  Ideally, hay should be purchased (or priced) by weight. A sheep's nutritional requirements are based on weight not volume and you won't know what it costs to feed your sheep unless you now how many pounds your sheep are eating and what the feed cost per pound is. The weight of a hay bale can vary tremendously.
  
  If you purchase hay by the bale and you don't know what the bales weigh, you could be spending a lot more for hay than you think. Most hay auctions sell hay by the ton. If you buy hay from a farm, you can ask the farmer to sell you hay by the ton and weigh the load of hay on a grain scale. Otherwise, you should weigh a few representative bales, then negotiate a per bale price.
  
  Purchasing hay: by the bale (volume) vs. by the ton (weight)
  
  

  Price per bale	Weight of bale	Price per ton
  $4.00	40	$200.00
  $3.50	40	$175.00
  $3.00	40	$150.00
  $2.75	40	$137.50
  $2.50	40	$125.00
  $2.25	40	$112.50
  $2.00	40	$100.00
  $1.75	40	$87.50
  $1.50	40	$75.00
  $1.25	40	$62.50
  $1.00	40	$50.00

  
  
  

• Silage or Haylage (ensilage)
  Silage is the term used for the feed produced by controlled fermentation of high moisture herbage. Silage can be made from forage or grain crops. It has been successfully fed to sheep; however, special attention must be paid to quality, as moldy silage can cause listeriosis or "circling disease."
  
  As with fresh forage, the high-producing animal often cannot consume enough high moisture silage to meet its nutritional needs. Silage is typically fed on large farms, due to the need for storage and automated feeding equipment. For small and medium sized flocks, silage bags make silage feeding a possibility.
  
  
  

• Concentrates (grain)
  It is oftentimes necessary to feed concentrates to provide the nutrients that forage alone cannot provide. This is particularly true in the case of high-producing animals. There are also times and situations where concentrates are a more economical source of nutrients than forages. Creep feeding and supplemental feeding of lambs has been shown to increase weight gains, but should only be done to the extent that it increases profit.
  
  
  Energy feeds
  There are two types of concentrate feeds: carbonaceous and proteinaceous. Carbonaceous concentrates or "energy" feeds are high in TDN (total digestible nutrients), but tend to be low in protein (8-11%). They include the cereal grains -- corn, barley, wheat, oats, milo, and rye.
  
  It is not necessary to process grains (grind, crack, roll, or crimp) for sheep except for lambs that are less than six weeks of age and lack a functioning rumen. In fact, whole grain diets are healthier for the sheep's rumen because it is necessary for the sheep to do its own grinding of the feed. Whole, uncooked soybeans may also be fed to sheep.

  One of the problems with feeding a lot of cereal grains is that they are high in phosphorus and low in calcium. Feeding a diet that is high in phosphorus and low in calcium can cause urinary calculi in wethers and intact males. Inadequate calcium can lead to milk fever in pregnant or lactating ewes.
  
  Energy feeds
  
  

  Feedstuff	Percent TDN
  Whole cottonseed	91
  Wheat middlings	90
  Corn grain	89
  Wheat grain	89
  Milo (grain sorghum)	89
  Barley grain	84
  Corn gluten feed	83
  Ear corn	82
  Rye grain	81
  Soybean hulls	77
  Molasses	75
  Beet pulp pellets	74
  Oat grain	74

  
  
  

• Protein feeds
  Proteinaceous concentrates or "protein feeds" contain high levels of protein (>15%) and may be of animal or plant origin. Examples include soybean meal, cottonseed meal, and fish meal. Ruminant-derived meat and bone meal cannot (by law) be fed to other ruminants, including sheep.
  
  Protein quantity is generally more important than protein quality (amino acid content) in ruminant livestock because the microorganisms in the rumen manufacture their own body protein. Livestock do not store excess protein; it is burned as energy or eliminated (as nitrogen) by the kidneys.
  
  Since parasites often cause blood loss in sheep and lambs, higher levels of protein in the diet may enable the animal to mount a greater immune response to parasites, especially the blood-sucking barber pole worm.
  
  Urea
  Urea is not a protein supplement, but is a source of nonprotein nitrogen for protein synthesis by rumen bacteria. It should be used only in conjunction with high-energy feeds such as corn. Urea, which is 45 percent nitrogen and has a crude protein equivalent of 281 percent, should not supply over one-third of the total nitrogen in a diet.
  
  Protein feeds
  
  

  Feedstuff	Percent CP
  Urea	281*
  Fish meal	62
  Soybean meal	48
  Whole soybeans	42
  Cottonseed meal	41
  Linseed meal	34
  Corn gluten feed	26
  Poultry litter	26
  Distiller's grains	25
  Brewer's grains	24
  Whole cottonseed	21
  Alfalfa pellets	17

  
  
  

• Commercial Feeds
  Many feed companies offer "complete" sheep and/or lamb feeds. These are pelleted or textured feeds which have been balanced for the needs of the animals of a particular age and production class. Complete feeds should not be mixed with other grain, because this may create nutritional imbalances, such as an improper Ca:P ratio.
  
  Pelleted rations have an advantage in that the animals cannot sort feed ingredients. Sorting can be a problem when animals are on self-feeders and allowed to eat all they want. Pelleted diets are ideal for free choice self-feeding. Complete feeds come in 50 or 100 lb. sacks and tend to be more expensive than home-made concentrate rations. For inexperienced shepherds and 4-H members, commercial feeds are usually recommended.
  
  

• Pelleted Supplements
  To control costs, producers can mix their own simple rations by combining various feed ingredients, such as corn, soybean meal, and minerals. It is possible to get pelleted supplements that contain vitamins and minerals, as well as high levels of protein (34-40%). These supplements can easily be combined with whole grains or by-product feeds to create a balanced concentrate ration.
  
  For example, combining 4 lbs. of corn with 1 lb. of a 36% protein pellet would result in a 16% protein ration that includes vitamins and minerals, making it a "complete" ration. This ration might be suitable for feeding lactating ewes or finishing feeder lambs.
  
  

• By-product Feeds
  There are numerous by-products that can be fed to sheep and lambs. Most by-products are available as a result of processing a traditional feed ingredient to generate another product. For example, corn gluten meal is a by-product of the corn milling process. Soybean hulls are a by-product of soybean processing for oil and meal.
  
  Wheat middlings are a by-product of the flour milling industry. Beet Pulp is the vegetable matter, which remains after sugar is extracted from sliced sugar beets. Other by-product feeds are by-products of the food and beverage industries. For example, brewers grains is a by-product of the brewing industry. Citrus Pulp is the dried residue of peel, pulp and seeds of oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruit.

  By-product feeds can often be economical sources of nutrients for sheep; however, they need be analyzed to determine their nutrient content. The high moisture content of some by-product feeds may limit consumption of the diet resulting in poor animal performance. High water content may also make by-product feeds difficult to transport and store. By-product feeds are often incorporated into least cost rations or TMR's (total mixed rations).

  Sheep should not be fed commercial feeds and mineral mixes that have been formulated for other animal species because these products contain copper. Sheep cannot tolerate excess copper in their diets. Excess copper is stored in the liver and can cause a toxic reaction, resulting in the death of the sheep.
  

• Vitamins and minerals
  Choosing the right mineral supplement for sheep can be very tricky. Sheep require macro and micro (trace) minerals and you need to know what minerals are deficient (or excess) in your area and in your feedstuffs. Mineral supplements range from trace mineralized salt (TMS) fortified with selenium to complete mineral mixes containing all of the macro and micro minerals required by sheep.
  
  In general, TMS fortified with selenium is all that is needed during the spring and summer when sheep are grazing high quality pastures containing more than 20 percent clover. Complete mineral mixes are recommended when grazing low quality roughages, starting four weeks before breeding, during breeding, and during late gestation and early lactation.
  
  Studies have clearly shown that selenium supplementation for pregnant ewes via a mineral mix is superior to selenium injections in late gestation. When high grain diets, certain alternative feeds, or silage are fed to sheep, additional calcium is required in the diet.

  The most important minerals are calcium, phosphorus, salt (NaCl), and selenium.
  
  Sources of calcium and phosphorus
  
  

  Source	% Calcium	% Phosphorus
  Bonemeal	24	12
  Dicalcium Phosphate	25	18.5
  Limestone	38	0
  Sodium Phosphate	0	22
  Alfalfa leaf meal	2.88	0.34
  Dried kelp	2.72	0.31

  It has been scientifically proven that animals are unable to determine the proper balance and amount of minerals required when fed free choice. Some animals may consume more of what they do not need, while others will not consume any, even if they are required. It is therefore recommended, that minerals be thoroughly blended with the ration wherever possible to ensure proper supplementation. However if this is not possible, minerals can be mixed with loose salt.
  
  Granular or "loose" forms of minerals are preferred to blocks. Mineral feeders should be full of fresh mineral, placed in readily available areas and protected from the weather. Coccidiostats and antibiotics can be incorporated into the mineral mix.
  
  

• Feed Additives
  A feed additive is a compound added to the ration other than to supply nutrients. Various feed additives can be utilized to improve the health and performance of sheep and lambs.
  
  Antibiotics
  Including sub-therapeutic antibiotics (40 g/ton in feed) in lamb rations can help to prevent enterotoxemia and respiratory disease. Antibiotics can be fed to ewes the last six weeks of gestation to help prevent losses to abortion. Antibiotics are advocated during an "abortion storm" to prevent further losses.
  

  Ionophores
  Lasalocid (Bovatec®) and Monensin (Rumensin®) are ionophores. Ionophores improve feed utilization and gain in cattle by altering rumen fermentation. They are also coccidiostats. They kill coccidia, primarily during the sporozoite stage. Lasalocid (Bovatec®) is labeled as a coccidiostat for confined sheep.
  
  Rumensin is approved for use in goats and cattle. Decoquinate (Deccox®) is also a coccidiostat. Deccox stops coccidia from growing. In contrast with Bovatec® and Rumensin®, Deccox is a quinolone. It is safer to use than ionophores, but is more expensive. Bovatec® and Rumensin® can be toxic to equines.

  Feeding Bovatec® or Deccox® to ewes prior to lambing will help to reduce the level of coccidia in the lambing environment. Rumensin® fed to ewes during late gestation may help to prevent abortions caused by toxoplasmosis. Other potential benefits to ionophores include reduced incidences of acidosis and feed lot bloat. Ionophores have also been shown to reduce livestock methane production (CH4) and nitrogen leaching.

  Probiotics
  Probiotics are the opposite of antibiotics. They are living organisms of beneficial bacteria. Probiotics may improve animal performance by keeping livestock healthy and improving their digestion. Many commercial feeds contain probiotics. Milk replacers usually contain probiotics. Yeast is a probiotic and has been incorporated into livestock rations.

  Ammonium chloride is often added to lamb rations to prevent urinary calculi (kidney stones). Ammonium chloride will help to acidify the urine. It should be added to the ration at a rate of 0.5 to 1.5 percent.
  
  
  
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Last updated 02-Jun-2009
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