Bedding Sheep

tractorporn

Looking for opinions/experience of bedding sheep on sawdust or a sawdust/straw combination. We have been offered a couple of loads of sawdust at transport cost only, We have never used sawdust for bedding but have heard that it can be a decent alternative. We have a shed full of straw but have found that it has been hard to keep a dry bed under the ewes with straw only, even bedding them daily. Would it be worth a punt seeing as it will be cheap?

rangler1

tractorporn wrote: »

Looking for opinions/experience of bedding sheep on sawdust or a sawdust/straw combination. We have been offered a couple of loads of sawdust at transport cost only, We have never used sawdust for bedding but have heard that it can be a decent alternative. We have a shed full of straw but have found that it has been hard to keep a dry bed under the ewes with straw only, even bedding them daily. Would it be worth a punt seeing as it will be cheap?

Is your silage very wet, I'd imagine sawdust take a while to break down when you spread it on the land

tractorporn

rangler1 wrote:

Is your silage very wet, I'd imagine sawdust take a while to break down when you spread it on the land

This year it's probably a bit wet but last year it was more like haylage than silage. Was intending to store the muck for a year before spreading to help it break down. Spread it in spring 2017.

Username John

No experience of sawdust.

But you'd imagine a good bed of it under the straw would have to help keep the straw on top drier... Twould allow the wet to soak away down from the straw...

The only downside being the long time for it to break down... You couldn't spread if for a season or more, as twould take too much from the ground breaking down...

I'd chance it if I were you... Easy for me to talk though, when tis you doing it

tractorporn

Username John wrote:

I'd chance it if I were you... Easy for me to talk though, when tis you doing it

I think I'll give it a spin for this year alright especially as it's going for small money. Was just hoping I'd get a bit of advice as to the best way of setting it up. I've been told to put the straw down first by a few lads and others say the opposite.

rangler1

tractorporn wrote: »

I think I'll give it a spin for this year alright especially as it's going for small money. Was just hoping I'd get a bit of advice as to the best way of setting it up. I've been told to put the straw down first by a few lads and others say the opposite.

400 sheep here are using 2 round bales/day, that's for bedding and feeding along with meal, that's why I was surprised that you'd be finding them hard on straw

eorna

Do many put lime around the feeders/shed to control lameness/disease?

rangler1

eorna wrote: »

Do many put lime around the feeders/shed to control lameness/disease?

No, just footbath every four or five weeks

eorna

rangler1 wrote: »

No, just footbath every four or five weeks

Thanks rangler but your system is a bit different as far as i know you dont feed silage and feeding straw will keep the place much drier..i find around the ring feeders gets very wet and dirty i am trying liming every so often to keep it drier/ disease free...
Just wonder if anybody has experience on that..
The rest of shed is fine, just around feeders is where problem is...

Username John

eorna wrote: »

Do many put lime around the feeders/shed to control lameness/disease?

No, as I don't footbath that often either, and I for find any issues with lameness (or at least I haven't til now)

I could be considered a bit wasteful with the straw tho, like to have a nice good deep bed of straw under em at all times...

Green farmer

tractorporn wrote: »

I think I'll give it a spin for this year alright especially as it's going for small money. Was just hoping I'd get a bit of advice as to the best way of setting it up. I've been told to put the straw down first by a few lads and others say the opposite.

No great experience either. But don't think would make much of a difference unless near or during lambing time. In that case ewes mightn't be too gone on licking a sawdust covered lamb. I've a bit of sawdust myself this year ( cut up some timber ) and plan on sawdust bottom , straw on top.

tractorporn

Green farmer wrote:

No great experience either. But don't think would make much of a difference unless near or during lambing time. In that case ewes mightn't be too gone on licking a sawdust covered lamb. I've a bit of sawdust myself this year ( cut up some timber ) and plan on sawdust bottom , straw on top.

I think that's what I'm going to do. Plan on putting at least 4 inches of sawdust down first and then rolling out a couple of bales on top of that and see how we get on.

grassroot1

How will you keep the sawdust out of the wool? I would imagine it would play havoc with their feet.

Bleating Lamb

Could be a danger of the sawdust having little wooden bits in it that could hurt their hooves unless it good 'fine' stuff.

If using it I would imagine the best way would be sawdust down first and then a real deep initial bed of straw on top.

tractorporn

Bleating Lamb wrote:

Could be a danger of the sawdust having little wooden bits in it that could hurt their hooves unless it good 'fine' stuff.

I've been promised that it's real fine dust so I'm hoping that it won't affect their hooves. I can't see it being a problem in their wool tho?

case5130

Was planning on bedding with straw and feeding hay would . Do ye feed much meal when u only feed straw

rangler1

case5130 wrote: »

Was planning on bedding with straw and feeding hay would . Do ye feed much meal when u only feed straw

1lb meal/day with straw is the same as hay +straw.
then start increasing meal from 6 wks out from lambing going up to 1lb three times a day for doubles at lambing.
15%P when they go in up to 18% at lambing

J.O. Farmer

rangler1 wrote: »

1lb meal/day with straw is the same as hay +straw.
then start increasing meal from 6 wks out from lambing going up to 1lb three times a day for doubles at lambing.
15%P when they go in up to 18% at lambing

Is there a reason for dividing the meal over 3 feeds rather than 2.

case5130

rangler1 wrote: »

1lb meal/day with straw is the same as hay +straw.
then start increasing meal from 6 wks out from lambing going up to 1lb three times a day for doubles at lambing.
15%P when they go in up to 18% at lambing

Would u use a ration or straight soya

Username John

rangler1 wrote: »

1lb meal/day with straw is the same as hay +straw.
then start increasing meal from 6 wks out from lambing going up to 1lb three times a day for doubles at lambing.
15%P when they go in up to 18% at lambing

Few straw plus meal last 2 years...

Fed doubles last year 0.5kg twice a day of an 18% nut, with a scatter of soya bean meal on top.
So that's about 2.2lb nuts, plus a bit of soya.

Reason was I wasn't around in the middle of the day for 3 feeds, and I didn't want to go over 0.5kg in one feed...

It worked out ok, lambs were fine and no milk problems. Plan to do the same this year.

rangler1

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Is there a reason for dividing the meal over 3 feeds rather than 2.

We don't have big ewes and 1lb seems to be enough in a feed, it'd only be the last 2 -3 weeks that they'd be getting the third feed, You have to be careful at that level as if you sicken them they're prone to twin lamb disease so near lambing

rangler1

case5130 wrote: »

Would u use a ration or straight soya

I use a lamb finishing ration when they go in first on to a ewe ration nearer to lambing, some give soya hulls at the start at housing but never tried it here

case5130

rangler1 wrote: »

I use a lamb finishing ration when they go in first on to a ewe ration nearer to lambing, some give soya hulls at the start at housing but never tried it here

Do u use any bucket or salt licks

rangler1

case5130 wrote: »

Do u use any bucket or salt licks

Give the ewes animax boluses 4 weeks before lambing, supposed to cover the lambs for cobalt in the milk but also we are deficient in cobalt and copper here

tractorporn

Said I'd update here. The saw dust arrived this week. So how's it's finished up is a layer of straw bedding, covered with 4/5" of sawdust and then another layer of straw. Ewes are very comfortable and more importantly dry. Will put up pics when I figure out how to.

Bscan86

I find scattering lime before every straw application works wonders for keeping the bed dry. Also I don't know if it's coincidence but very little mastitis and think maybe the lime is keeping their udders in good order. Once all this year's lambing is finished we intend to white-wash the walls of the sheep shed,
1: It will disinfect the walls.
2: It will make the shed brighter.

case5130

Covering the place with lime and along the feed barrier , but still had five this evening lame 4 that just needed little trim one that stank and had give her injection , any one any better idea than lime