[Jacob-list] Hay woes - Neal?

[Neal and Louise Grose]

I feel like saying "Ta-da! It's nutrition man!"

There are a couple of considerations to make allowances for when you look at forage quality and matching it up with the needs of the sheep:
* In talking about balancing nutrition, we assume that the sheep eat everything available to them. Sheep that have the opportunity to be selective in their diets will stay in better condition (or fat) than those that are forced to consume all available forage. The more palatable forage, as it turns out, is generally higher in energy value (it's sweeter). We can use this to our advantage in pastures by limiting the area available at any given time to force them to consume less palatable forages. Otherwise they may overgraze the better farages and let the less desirable species flourish. Intensive grazing schemes try to limit paddock size to what the sheep will consume in 4 - 7 days.
* Ewes that are are  not in late lactation or lactating need only a maintenance level of nutrition, about 12% protein and 65 megacalories/pound. Lactating ewes need much higher levels of nutrition, about 16 - 18% protein and 72 mcal. Late gestation ewes need better nutrition because feed consumption drops in part due to resrtictions in the size of the gut. 
* All forages drop significantly in quality and energy content after flowering. Send off a forage sample for testing.
* Alfalfa in Georgia is not the same as alfalfa in Colorado or Wisconsin. As a rule, forages grown in areas of higher heat and humidity will have lower nutritional value. Alfalfa here in the Southeast often has energy values of no more than 60 megacalories per pound. Top western hay might have a value of over 70 mcals. The former will not support sheep in late gestation, lactation, or good rate of gain. The later can over-fatten non-lactating ewes. ( this quality of alfalfa will also have excess protein and calcium.) Southern grown alfalfa will require supplementation with grain for lactating ewes, north of the Mason-Dixon line, it may not.
* I do not think that you can over-fatten sheep on good grass hay, since it will run 60 - 65 mcal. Not all grass is created equal either. Your most nutritional grasses in approximate descending order: corn plants, brown mid-rib sudan-grass, ryegrass, matua (brome grass), crab grass, orchardgrass, fescue, native warm-season perennials, millet, fall panicum, straw, >>>>barn-yard grass. Grain supplement will be necessary starting with about the middle of the list. 

Neal Grose
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Linda 
  To: aztreaz at earthlink.net ; jacob-list 
  Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2007 7:11 PM
  Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] Hay woes - Neal?


  What is a "rich" diet?

  Neal mentioned the requirements for gestating ewes at the AGM.  Gestating ewes need energy.   Neal, could you jump in here?

  One of my points that I guess didn't come across is that Jacob Sheep are adaptable .. not only to frugal conditions, but also to overly abundant conditions.  I prefer to err on the side of too thin rather than too fat, but there are alot of chubby ewes out there that lamb without assistance every year.

  Linda


  > My sheep would love to eat nothing but alfalfa, but doesn't that
  > make really fat sheep?  I was warned that feeding too much alfalfa
  > to pregnant ewes fattens them up and leads to birthing problems.
  > Have you noticed any weight gain in your ewes?  My vet tells me
  > over and over again that sheep don't need a rich, plentiful, varied
  > diet.  In other words, she was telling me I was feeding them too
  > much really rich food.  Probably explains why sheep can tolerate
  > tough times, like drought in Georgia, better than many other types
  > of livestock.
  >
  > Cathy
  > Moscow, Idaho
  > also a bit droughty



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