Strategies for Feeding the Ewe Flock

Aspects to Consider and Problems Likely to Be Encountered

Feedstuffs

Feed costs of the ewe and her lambs constitutes 60-70% of total lamb production costs. The ewes' yearly feed represents about two-thirds of those costs or 50% of all costs of production. Producers can do little about feed costs per ton, but several practices can reduce daily ewe feed costs. Ewe cost per day and feed costs per ton are related, but they are not the same.

Feed bulk or density affects feed transport costs, wind loss, bunk capacity, mixing ease, and feeding methods. Lack of bulk or dry matter often results in excess salt and mineral intake, wood chewing, and eating wool off one another. Feed storage problems, handling costs, and feed spoilage in storage or in the bunk are other considerations when selecting feeds. Obviously, the nutrient content of feedstuffs, palatability, toxicity, and possible adverse physiological effects should receive major attention.

In short, solutions to some feeding problems shouldn't create others. The ideal sheep feed is low-cost, palatable, nontoxic, and nutrient rich; it satisfies the ewe, minimizes handling and feed bunk problems, and maximizes lamb and wool production.

Feeding Equipment

Low cost, convenient, easily maintained equipment that accommodates the feeding of large flocks with a minimum of labor should be the goal. Feed bunks that reduce feed wastage will pay for themselves in 1- or 2-years' time. Basically, feed bunks don't cost more than $1-3 per ewe and last 15-20 years. Feed bunks should be suitable for hay, silage, or grain; easy to clean; and easy to move from snow, mud, and manure piles.

The total cost of a silo unloader, augers, and feed bunks is considerable and may amount to $10-$12 per ewe. Thus, your feeding system should maximize the use of the automatic feeding equipment.

You can reduce your capital investment in feeding equipment per ewe by feeding multiple groups of ewes per day in the same bunk. During gestation and summer dry periods, feeding on alternate days or three times per week works well and minimizes labor and equipment. This is particularly feasible if you are mechanically feeding with a belt feeder or auger system. Moving hungry ewes with their lambs through gates without injuring the lambs is the major problem in feeding multiple groups of ewes per day in the same feed bunks or on alternate days and should not be attempted.

If a ewe needed the same kind and amount of feed every day it would be easy to devise a feeding system, feed bunks, and ration to accommodate her. Actually, 8 months out of 12 the ewe wants to eat far more feed than she needs. To economize on feed costs and to feed the ewe no more than she can profitably utilize necessitates three approaches: a) hand feeding a specified amount each day (which entails considerable labor); b) changing the nutrient concentration of the ration according to her needs (very bulky or high-grain); or c) limiting the amount of time that she has to eat. With a high-energy ration, this might be 20 minutes during early gestation, 30 minutes during late gestation, and 1 hour twice a day during lactation.

Be conscious of the amount of labor required to feed sheep. For example, cornstalks are an inexpensive source of nutrients, but they are very bulky and entail considerable labor to feed. If they are ground to minimize waste and facilitate handling, the cost almost doubles by the time they reach the bunk. If they are not ground, there are the problems of feed refusal, frequent cleaning out of the bunk, and an accumulation of refused stalks around the bunk or, worse, in the barn. Ewes can utilize corn stalks in the field at a minimum cost but harvesting them increases the cost of nutrients tremendously.

To summarize, other factors in addition to how much the ration costs per ton have a direct bearing on how to best facilitate the feeding of large numbers of sheep with a minimum of labor. The number one problem in American farm flock production is devising a scheme that enables maintenance of a large flock with a minimum of labor while maintaining maximum lamb production.

Producers' Attitudes

To surmount some of the physical problems of feeding 100-500 ewes, to economize on the equipment and labor, and to understand the factors that affect the amount kind, and cost of feeding a ewe daily, requires applying knowledge to the problem. If all sheep weighed 100 pounds, if they were always fed equal parts of grain and hay, if the hay were always alfalfa with 15% protein, and if the grain were always corn, it would be quite easy to devise not only the equipment but the ration for sheep. However, that is seldom the case.

While sheep producers feed their sheep by the bale or tractor scoop and feed according to the ewes' condition, they should acquire knowledge as to the nutrient composition of the feeds being fed. Weighing a typical bale of hay or scoop full of silage or grain once a month and knowing whether oats provide enough protein for ewes and whether corn silage is high or low in calcium will prevent feeding mistakes. Overfeeding didn't affect profits when feeds were low-priced, as it does now with $60-80 per ton of hay.

Reducing Costs of Feeding Ewes

The costs of feeding ewes for 6-7 months can be most effectively reduced by:

1. reducing feed waste with a) bunks that prevent ewes from walking on feed, and b) feeding the correct amount, and thus avoiding overfeeding. Usually, if feed is being wasted too much feed is being offered.
   
   
2. reducing the number of winter feeding days by extending the fall grazing period with brassicas (rape or turnips), corn stalks, or fertilized grass.
   
   
3. economizing on the amount and/or quality of feed stuffs fed during periods that have minor effects on production (summer dry or early gestation period). Figure 1 illustrates this principle.
   
   

Figure 1. Daily TDN requirement
year round of 154 pould ewe.

4. utilizing feedstuffs that cost less per ewe daily to provide adequate nutrition. Corn silage is the lowest cost feed available. More producers should include it in their feeding program.
   A 3:1 hay to corn or a 2:1 hay to corn ratio fed at 75% or 70%, respectively, of the weight of hay fed, results in equal ewe production; but the 25-30% less total feed fed reduces costs accordingly.
   
   
5. feeding ewes on alternate days, with the exception of the lactation period (when lambs are small), thereby reducing labor costs considerably.
   
   
6. condition scoring your ewes. Ewes that are fat in the fall can be fed less during midgestation, with a saving of 10-20%, without affecting lamb and wool production.
   
   

In cooperation with NCR Educational Materials Project.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension Services of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Katherine Fennelly, Dean and Director, University of Minnesota Extension Service, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108.

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