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Ewes Wasting Feed?
Author: Tammie 
Date:   02-23-05 13:40

We are new to sheep raising, lambed 52 ewes for the first time over the past month. We've been told that if we feed 1.5 pounds of grain a day, the ewes should have 3.5 pounds of hay a day. Our question is by feeding round bales in addition to 1.5 pounds of feed, are we going to throw our feed expenses off by the ewes eating more hay than they need, or will they only eat about the 3.5 pounds of hay anyway? Any advise?
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RE: Ewes Wasting Feed?
Author: Gordon 
Date:   02-23-05 17:30

They will eat until they are full. If you want to save feed then you will need to limit feed them. You need to look at the cost of small square bales and the labor then compare that to the cost of the large round.

Gordon
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RE: Ewes Wasting Feed?
Author: Tamia Sanders 
Date:   03-08-05 03:08

Since she are grazers by nature, they will continue to eat and pick at the rations provided all day long. My girls are given a very limited amount of grain when I am flushing them and they are pregnant and lactating, otherwise, they pretty much have hay available all day, ( I currently have 3 ft of snow on the ground and no pasture available to them). I find that as long as the feed is not on the ground, and they cannopt lay on it or walk on it, they will clean it all up, without waste. If they walk on it or sleep on it, they won't eat it and that is when it gets wasteful.
Tamia
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