[Jacob-list] Hay from Heaven

[Gary Tomas Fay]

Hello Again List Members,

I have been quite for a while, but after a year and a half I broke down
and purchased by first two Jacob Sheep from Mary Ellen / I see spots and
two lambs from Kate / Humbug. (Thank you ladies for these wonderful
individual specimens.) I am about halfway between these two farms, to
the west of RTP, NC on I-40 near Mebane.

I had a question on feeding hay. My farm is currently "mostly trees". I
have a few open areas with some grass, briars, poplar shrubs etc. I am
supplementing with hay. I have seen suggestions that sheep need to have
elevated feed, the protien block is in a bucket. I have delt some with
horse people and have seen them scatter hay in a field to "simulate
grazing". (His words) From what I have seen, elevating  the feed should
help with parasite load, as the sheep do deposit their processed food
where the unprocessed feed is located! Paula Simmons's "Raising sheep
the modern way" has a great design for grain. I have a different idea
than the ones for hay that she presented.

I have seen "horse people" feed grain and water at a level below the
animals head, but the hay the animal had to reach up to get. Does anyone
have experience with overhead feeding of hay to sheep. Are there any
"con's" to this method? I have a reasonably simple design that would
seem to work and would have to be better than leaving hay directly on
the ground, ( and having to rake it and the contamination away daily.)

Thanks,

Gary