Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

FC, can one flush ewes on stockpiled forage(pasture allowed to grow thick, nutritious grass)? I've been reading that grass farmers will stockpile forage for the flushing period, instead of feeding grains, and have the same good results. I was hoping to avoid grain feeding altogether if I could. I plan a rotational grazing program on my land and hope to improve my grass in this manner.

 

[Farmfresh]

Beekissed

I have heard of that as well - using good alfalfa or clover pasture for the flushing period. Interested in the conversation. So far I only Buy those market lambs, but in the future ... who knows?

 

[FarmerChick]

this is a biggie when does are preggo

Ketosis is a pregnancy-related illness in does which can occur either right before or shortly after kidding. Ketosis is the result of producers not providing proper nutrition for pregnant does. The bred female does not receive adequate protein to feed both her and her kids in utero, so either just before or immediately after she kids, her body begins to draw upon its protein reserves so that she can provide milk for her offspring. Deadly ketones are produced as a by-product of this process, as her own body tissues begin to starve.

Treatment is simple. Oral administration of propylene glycol, molasses, or Karo syrup is necessary. The doe will dislike the oily propylene glycol, but it is by far the best product available for treating ketosis. Dosage is based upon weight of the animal.

Prevention is easy. Feed the doe properly during gestation as well as after kidding. Bringing a doe back from a bout of ketosis is difficult, and death often results.


****that is all the technical stuff...LOL---I had about 8 very preggo does die when I first started in this business......then I read this and started feeding dry molasses and sweet feed before and after kidding...NEVER have lost another in pregnancy in all these years. So I know this works..LOL

Problem with tall grass....you can get fescue toxicity very easy . Fescue toxicity is very real out there.....plus you can add founder and laminitis to this list. Whenever they are on a controlled pasture, then opened up to a LUSH pasture you can easily have problems just like with a horse. No different.

So I never let anything go to a lush pasture. When I open my rotating pastures they are on them for a short time, like 5 hrs. per day...then I close it off....for them to spend the rest of the time in the less than lush pasture that they have eaten down more. Having horses I know that I don't want grass problems ever.

 

[FarmerChick]

basically your 2 problems is this

pregnancy toxemia
too much protein in the rumen, with kids in there the mom has a smaller tummy to process feed grain and can't eat alot of roughage to compensate for that grain.....so this is too much protein at one time in the system

ketosis is when the babies just deplete the momma and her body is just starving and giving it all to the kids.




So I do not add more feed ever for preggo mommas, I just decrease the protein before kidding and add sugar type products. Dry molasses, or sweet feed or beet pulp. I need to up the glucouse level basically to keep that mommas systems in energy level.

hope all that makes sense..LOL


And yup, I have gallon jugs of prop. glycol under the kitchen sink for emergencies....if a big preggo goat goes off feed or acts puny she gets a big syringe of this stuff orally.

 

[Farmfresh]

Sheep can founder! Wow I have a lot to learn.

 

[Beekissed]

From what I understand, grass has different stages of growth, wherein one particular stage produces more sugar, for want of a better word, and can cause colic in some animals if they are let out on lush graze in early spring.

If a sheep or goat needs sugary feeds to supplement their pre-lambing nutrition, what is the difference with grass-based sugar and grain, or molasses-based, sugar?

What I am reading is that people who have grass-fed operations use their grasses as supplement, instead of grain. In their definitions, the USDA allows the term "grass-fed" to let these farmers still use the term while using a percentage of grain for flushing and finishing. Purists don't believe in this and manage their livestock with purely grass diets to hold true to the concept.

 

[FarmerChick]

one of the things I learned thru the deaths is that even a natural source of sugar (for lack of the other words) means that the sheep or goat will go down super fast.

While I certainly agree grass fed with little extras like a mineral block and such can definitely be managed, those people usually have high acerage. Being grazers, they find what they need to eat. When we limit their space to a 1/2 acre pasture, 3 acre pasture or whatever, we limit how they can forage and get what is required in their bodies.

So I never looked into true grass fed operations but I know they have ALOT of land for rotation.....now being only 2-4 critters than maybe on smaller acerage it would be feasible.

Always I supply instant sugar into the system each day when they are close to kidding cause from experience I know they die fast....and once the body is depleted of that sugar you almost can't bring them back....even with prop. gylcol. They just die cause when they hit the stage where death is an instant away, honestly, they can be perfect acting right up to when they go down and never get up again.......so this is talking from experience with limited pasture and such.

And again, any animal with hooves founders on rich grass. So it is a catch 22 to take them off short grass, throw on higher grass, and take the chance.....but if you throw them on higher grass for limited hours, then suppl. with a little grain then you are managing it more on a mini farm level like me.

I did read about managing cows as grass fed cause I thought about doing it but I do not have enough pasture to successfully handle my 20 cow rotation truly. Being in the south, when my pasture dies in summer, it surely dies...LOL...another thing to consider like for my location my grass is finicky with the weather..LOL


I am sure you can maybe successfully handle a small grass fed operation with mineral block for up to 10 animals probably. I just never tried it and being that I know what works for me...lol...I don't monkey with it anymore cause I know I can keep my critters alive now..LOL





One thing is
you can throw an animal out on high grass, never feed it nothing and it does fine thru its long life, other times you do what you think is perfect and the sucker is dead the next month..HA HA....truly trial and error to what will work for you on your land.

 

[FarmerChick]

hey Bee
I found this and thought it was a little info....remember I am coming from a goat viewpoint, not sheep. I never owned a sheep..LOL



Sheep say baa goats say maa. Seriously, their voices are different.

Most goats are naturally horned, but many sheep breeds are polled (naturally hornless).

Sheep are stupid, goats are smart. We like sheep, but would never bet money on a lamb trying to find its way out of a maze. As far as survival skills go, though, sheep must be as smart as many other species. They have survived in the wild for hundreds of years all over the world.

Sheep need less copper than goats. Some mineral supplements that are great for goats can be toxic to sheep.

Sheep are more likely to overeat than goats. Be careful about turning sheep into a lush pasture or freefeeding them more hay than they usually eat. Sheep should be vaccinated for enterotoxemia or "overeating" disease. In our area, enterotoxemia has not been a problem for goats on a controlled diet.

Sheep are grazers, goats are browsers. That means sheep are probably better weed eaters, since they eat grasses and other plants all the way down to the ground. Goats, on the other hand, nibble here and there, sampling a variety of bushes and leaves.

Sheep, except those that are tamed by bottlefeeding, are more skittish than goats. Their instinct is to flee, not fight.

Sheep milk is higher in fat than goat milk. Either one can be used to make feta cheese. The Farm cats love both kinds!

Some of these next comments are based on our personal experience raising both sheep and goats in Southern California, sometimes in the same pen. Our observations may be different than yours if you live in a different climate or use pasture yearround for your livestock:

Sheep are more likely to have worms; their favorite is the stomach worm strongyles. Goats are more likely to have coccidia (an intestinal protozoan parasite).

Sheep are less susceptible to external parasites, including fungi such as ringworm. Goats, especially those with longer hair, often have lice. Ringworm is common.

Sheep need hoof trimming much less often (maybe twice per year) than goats (once or twice monthly).

 

[PamsPride]

Thanks for all the info ladies! I really understand this sugar and toxemia thing since I am going through it myself!!

 

[Beekissed]

Isn't this fun? I love finding out new info and exploring the path less traveled and less conventional in just about every way!

Sheep and geese will be the only farm animals with which I do not have prior experience, so this will be an adventure, for sure. I can't wait to have my cute little flocks grazing on the green, green grass! I helped my sisters with their goats when they lived next door and I was not as impressed with them as my sisters were! It will remain to be seen if I am impressed with the sheep....