What, 'cause you like a sheep that'll starve rather than eat? 
Aye, the more I hear about other sheep the more I realise that kerry hills are like, Super Sheep 
alison
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Mine are digging a little through the heavy frost, but when the time comes they always eat hay.
We don't feed concentrates.
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Stacey
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I spoke to a farmer friend of himself today and he said that sheep will only eat certain types of hay. I drove out to a farm in a blizzard (I swear I saw Mr Tumnus thumbing a lift) and he sold me a bale of haylage type stuff. So, we'll see how they like that tomorrow now we've gone through the day-long drama of getting it off the bleddy truck.
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Rob R
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In my experience sheep will only eat hay if you give it to them.
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Cathryn
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We are with Rob on this. Although Jack's comment is that actually they will only eat his hay and how much do you want at £10 a bale. They won't eat really bad stuff, sensible of them. Silage here and hay for the ewe lambs while they are cutting their teeth.
We're also looking at the New Zealand system of cropping the grass down really low in each field before moving the flock on. Theoretically it will mean good new grass growth and higher clover density. It looks interesting and seems worth trying. Our fields are not covered in snow though.
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Stacey
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I'll tell you what, after what I've been through to get the sodding stuff if they don't eat it they'd better stay out of my way 
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Rob R
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It looks interesting and seems worth trying. Our fields are not covered in snow though. |
Yes, I was planning on moving the sheep after the cattle come in tomorrow but 12 inches of snow make setting nets out pretty much impossible.
Cathryn
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Well if you will keep sheep. 
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Rob R
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The trouble is they taste so good (And Nat would be a little underdressed on our wedding day without them )
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Cathryn
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Do your sheep respect electric fencing Rob? That bit puzzled us a bit.
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Rob R
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No, not wire if they are the slightest bit hungry, but nets have saved me so much time that they've paid for themselves already.
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Cathryn
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Thanks. I will remember that if we go full out with that system. (I think I've seen a roll as well up in one of the sheds.) Interesting though because they clearly use single strand tape in NZ.
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Rob R
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Hmm, it must be down to either breeding or voltage in that case.
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kirstyfern
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I wish my goats would respect the electric fence  even the nets don't keep them in!
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judith
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I wish my goats would respect the electric fence even the nets don't keep them in! |
The nets don't work with my sheep either.
katie
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Our sheep respect 3 lines of tape - even the non-Wiltshire's (which feel it more cos of having little fleece).
I think it is the voltage that does it in NZ. A friend of ours imported a NZ system and it REALLY zaps!
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kirstyfern
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Our sheep respect 3 lines of tape - even the non-Wiltshire's (which feel it more cos of having little fleece).
I think it is the voltage that does it in NZ. A friend of ours imported a NZ system and it REALLY zaps! |
Mine REALLY zaps, but once the goat is halfway through it carries on
katie
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Clever creatures! They have probably worked out that the worst is over so they might as well carry on.
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Rob R
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Goats are something else, I think that's why the goat farm houses all year.
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sean
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Goats are something else. |
No-one gets anything past you do they?
Rob R
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Someone did once, never again. Last time I buy a geep.
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milkmaid
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mine respect electic not when they are little, but the nannies do ,in fact even if it's off mine don't like to go near it but spent quite a lot of time training them to it
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Ruralnaedowell
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I feed my speckled faced ewes and thaives haylege from when the grass runs out (nov), and I feed the inlamb ewes nuts for two or three weeks before lambing and afterwards until the grass begins to grow.
Some people say that sheep prefer finer hay, but I haven't really seen that. Buy first cut hayledge straight off the field in June, if the farmer is delivering it, as it only gets handled once - Make sure you get the first cut stuff as that has the seedheads and oils and goodys in it.
If as a small farmer you keep older ewes then they get nuts earlier to help them along.
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Mutton
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Electric fencing with netting.
if you are thinking of getting netting, bear in mind it can be a bad idea if your stock has horns. If they get their horns caught in the netting they can be there for hours getting zapped.
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Mrs R
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Thanks. I will remember that if we go full out with that system. (I think I've seen a roll as well up in one of the sheds.) Interesting though because they clearly use single strand tape in NZ. |
NZ contacts inform me that anything with merino breeding is docile and can be grazed really tight, respecting a single strand - british breeds are notoriously difficult for tight grazing.
Stonehead
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We have 36 inches of snow (more in the drifts). Temperatures have gone down to between -15C and -20C. The neighbouring farmer has sheep on agistment with us. He comes over twice a day with a tractor and snowplough, drives to the centre of the field and ploughs a large circle free of snow. He dumps half a bale of sileage in a sheltered corner and checks the high energy lick. That's it. His sheep are all amply build madams and would like to be a bit picky, but he gives them no choice. So they eat everything they're given.
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Rob R
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Dances with Cows
Electric fencing with netting.
if you are thinking of getting netting, bear in mind it can be a bad idea if your stock has horns. If they get their horns caught in the netting they can be there for hours getting zapped. |
Can happen without horns too - last year in the snow and cold weather,somehow, one of our wensleydale rams got completely tangled in it, ripped his tags out, blood everywhere - it was awful, we were convinced he was dead after however long being zapped and lying in the snow and blood. He wasn't, he's still with us today and looking well, they do have a peculiar talent for getting into trouble though those guys...
/Dances with Cows
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