Winter feed

getoverit11

Just wondering how much bales of hay il need for 40 ewes from 2nd week of December to approx March 18th. Have 31 bales. Advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

kk.man

Am i reading this wrong but are you intent on feeding these ewes for 3 months?!?

getoverit11

kk.man wrote: »

Am i reading this wrong but are you intent on feeding these ewes for 3 months?!?

Probably be the 4th week of December so in and around. We only have a small part in grass at the moment. Rest in tillage. Tightly stocked here to make best possible use of grass. No problem in housing ewes that long, I'm sure others do it.

kk.man

getoverit11 wrote: »

Probably be the 4th week of December so in and around. We only have a small part in grass at the moment. Rest in tillage. Tightly stocked here to make best possible use of grass. No problem in housing ewes that long, I'm sure others do it.

You will have stock health issues...labour...very difficult over that period of time plus expensive. You b better off with short term lease . Easier on man and beast!

getoverit11

kk.man wrote: »

You will have stock health issues...labour...very difficult over that period of time plus expensive. You b better off with short term lease . Easier on man and beast!

Will be no stock health issues as I have a good health plan. Lost nothing last year doing the same. Also might be expensive winter but easier cheaper come spring time with more grass. Definitely easier on man and beast then.

Regret posting here as I was just asking a simple question if I wanted a lecture I'd go look for one thanks.

kk.man

getoverit11 wrote: »

Will be no stock health issues as I have a good health plan. Lost nothing last year doing the same. Also might be expensive winter but easier cheaper come spring time with more grass. Definitely easier on man and beast then.

Regret posting here as I was just asking a simple question if I wanted a lecture I'd go look for one thanks.

Didn't mean to lecture...many sheep men will agree...sheep don't do long term housing..thats all

getoverit11

kk.man wrote: »

Didn't mean to lecture...many sheep men will agree...sheep don't do long term housing..thats all

I'm sure it works, I'm also sure lads house them in late December too. Depends on your situation. I'm considering housing them then or I might have the option of putting them on rape on an outfarm.

rangler1

getoverit11 wrote: »

Will be no stock health issues as I have a good health plan. Lost nothing last year doing the same. Also might be expensive winter but easier cheaper come spring time with more grass. Definitely easier on man and beast then.

Regret posting here as I was just asking a simple question if I wanted a lecture I'd go look for one thanks.

I put my sheep in from december to march too, i don't have any health issues either, always have enough grass to feed ewes after lambing because the land has been cleared for the winter

getoverit11

rangler1 wrote: »

I put my sheep in from december to march too, i don't have any health issues either, always have enough grass to feed ewes after lambing because the land has been cleared for the winter

Think it's best practise in my opinion anyway. How much bales of hay for 40 ewes would be required rangler? Thanks.

Willfarman

Depends on how packed the bales are but I suppose an average bale would keep ewes for 2 or 3 days. So say 3 bales a week by 12 is 36 bales.... And I concur with kk man. A run on someone else's land would be better for man and beast. Winter grass is perfectly balanced nutritionally for March lambong ewes. And fit exercised ewes lamb a lot better lambing.. I know last year wasn't simple with the torrents of rain but every year won't be like that.

rangler1

getoverit11 wrote: »

Think it's best practise in my opinion anyway. How much bales of hay for 40 ewes would be required rangler? Thanks.

Don't use hay or silage here, we feed them meal from the time they go in, bed them on barley straw which they eat for fibre/roughage, we're doing it that way for ten years now.

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

Depends on how packed the bales are but I suppose an average bale would keep ewes for 2 or 3 days. So say 3 bales a week by 12 is 36 bales.... And I concur with kk man. A run on someone else's land would be better for man and beast. Winter grass is perfectly balanced nutritionally for March lambong ewes. And fit exercised ewes lamb a lot better lambing.. I know last year wasn't simple with the torrents of rain but every year won't be like that.

Only winterage i see advertised is either uncut meadow or not fenced, the attraction is gone off for sheep on dairy farms

Green farmer

Would you have grass until dec for ewes rangler. ? I'm running out of grass here, mostly due to running 3 flocks at the moment. Ewes / ewe lambs / ram lambs

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

Would you have grass until dec for ewes rangler. ? I'm running out of grass here, mostly due to running 3 flocks at the moment. Ewes / ewe lambs / ram lambs

I thought i was due to the extra lambs too, but i had more lambs around last year due to the orf.
Won't get to december this year, do you think grass stopped growing earlier than usual this year.
Rams will be with the ewes until around 6th december, so they'll have to stay out till then at least. I've about another 3 weeks grass with absolutely no regrowth on the grazed paddocks, I put out a bag and half of 18.6.12/ac six weeks ago and got a very poor response.
I'm considering giving everything .75 kg nuts through the snacker when grass runs out and hope there's enough grass on the paddocks for roughage.
This year is costing everyone extra so I'm lucky it's only starting to bite here now.
120 lambs left, 50 should be fit next week

getoverit11

rangler1 wrote: »

Don't use hay or silage here, we feed them meal from the time they go in, bed them on barley straw which they eat for fibre/roughage, we're doing it that way for ten years now.

Heard of a couple that feed meal only. Obviously works

charolais0153

You have plenty I'd say. Most of the grass is eaten here except for a bit of a butt of grass in a few fields .will try and clean these off. We get a field with a bit of grass in it , so we will put most of the ewes on that for a while. Lambing on February so a lot of the ewes will be in on jan1 singles and lates will be left on that field with silage until shortly before lambing

Green farmer

Been back peddling here all year. The spring grass was so late in coming that ewes kept rotating around bare fields. Remember us talking about lack of grass up to the end of May. Think I'll be cutting open the first bale of silage at the weekend, feed them in the fields here.

tomwaterford

getoverit11 wrote: »

Will be no stock health issues as I have a good health plan. Lost nothing last year doing the same. Also might be expensive winter but easier cheaper come spring time with more grass. Definitely easier on man and beast then.

Regret posting here as I was just asking a simple question if I wanted a lecture I'd go look for one thanks.

Teagasc used say 1.1 round bales of silage per lowland ewe


I aim for a bit above it.....I feed indoors and let sheep out to wander about by day into paddock joining shed
Only rail them in around meal feeding time

tom_k

Here's a fodder budgeting tool from a Wicklow merchant. I'm not sure about the weight of a bale that they give and it's a particular can of worms that might be better remaining closed but it's a starting point anyway. For what it's worth, I think you have enough fodder.

http://www.quinns.ie/index.php/toolbox/fodder-budgeting-tool/

Siamsa Sessions

A few different variables involved I guess, but you'll probably have a better view on whether you've enough feed or not a few weeks after you start feeding them.

Can always plan then if you think you need to source more.

mcgiggles

We brought ours into the shed in December and kept them in until after lambing in March, mostly due to the crap weather. had some issues lambing but some could be put down to bad scanning and therefore over/under feeding with meal. Hopefully this cracking weather keeps up and we can keep them out longer this year. Lambing end of Feb/ beginning of March this year.