[Jacob-list] Hay woes

[ARTHUR PARTRIDGE]

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>Does anyone limit the hay available to their sheep? I was reading at:

http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/articles/highhay.html and >on another site
whose name escapes me about limiting the hay. I've got some ewes now that
are on grass hay only free choice >and they are fat little pigs.

> 

>What do you use to substitute for part of the hay ration if needed?

> 

>Thanks

>Linda

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We mostly feed grass hay (which has almost doubled in price this year).  We
lamb in March and start feeding the ewes alfalfa in January and continue
until the pasture is ready in late March.  I also feed leafy alfalfa to the
lambs.  If I needed a hay substitute for the adult sheep, I would buy
Livestock Blend (a complete pellet feed with some corn kernels in it), made
by Land O'Lakes Company.  It is fairly inexpensive, $7.50 for a 50-lb bag,
but there is a discount if you buy a ton.  A few years ago, it was only
$5.25 a bag.  For additional roughage, I would feed either wheat or barley
straw.  I can buy tons of it here for $2.00 a bale.  I would include a
mineral mix, maybe add some additional vitamins to the feed.  I would check
with a sheep specialist first about all this.  My sheep eat straw anyway
because they eat about half of their straw bedding.  They seem to like it. 
Someone told me it is because there are residual grain chemicals on the
straw.  Maybe straw is hard to get in Georgia.

And for something really 'off the wall', I think some folks feed wood chips
to cattle, but I would definitely check that with an expert.  Not much
nutrition there, just fiber and carbohydrates.  Maybe used as a last
resort, check it out.  There are plenty of trees in Georgia.  Don't use
wood chips from cherry trees!

Good luck,
Cathy
Moscow, Idaho