>They did pick up enough of the ARG
>that we kept from last fall to add some fiber to the ration.
What's ARG?
>By the 2nd
>rotation the ARG and Ladino Clover was providing protein and we switched to
>a Brome hay.
hmmm, we can buy alfalfa hay, grass hay or mixed which usually
includes some purple clover. I can't pick and choose types of
grasses. But sheep are more tolerant of wider protein swings than
cattle are.
>If the hay is good and you
>don't give them more than they will clean up in one day, you can feed hay
>without having to use a polywire.
Interesting, our biggest management change this year was figuring out
how to feed 3 days worth of hay at a time. We found that with daily
feeding the sheep got obnoxious, baaing any time anyone came out the
door. Sheep are picky, and refuse to eat stems unless forced too. But
by feeding every 2-3 days, they eat more of the sticks and are not
baaing all the time. Since our winter corrals are about 70 feet from
the house excess baaing can be irritating. <G>
I really want to try some forage turnips plus apple pomace as a fall
feed. We have the option of getting lots of apple and pear pomace
from cider making during the fall and into winter and as best I can
figure, that would balance the high protein turnips well for a
flushing ration during October and November. But the only area we can
till easily to plant turnips is not fenced predator safe yet. It's on
the list to do, maybe even this summer but isn't there yet so for now
it's not a sheep option at all.
--
Oogie McGuire - oogiem@desertweyr.com
Weyr Associates - Multimedia and Web Authoring Services & Consulting
Desert Weyr - CMK Arabian horses and Black Welsh Mountain Sheep
http://www.desertweyr.com/
Paonia, CO USA
