What can and can not be fed to sheep after lambing and the frequency of eating
Cattle breeding is hard work and a lot of responsibility. The success of such an enterprise is possible only as a result of proper nutrition and compliance with the conditions for keeping animals. To do this, the cattle need to pay a lot of attention and properly time their time. This issue is especially acute during the birth of small lambs. You need to know the best way to feed the sheep after lambing.
Diet for sheep after lambing
Females should receive increased feeding during pregnancy and after childbirth. In general, for sheep, the usual diet is vegetable food:
- succulent forage (herbs, beet, potatoes, silage, carrots) - 80%;
- concentrates - 5%;
- roughage (hay, straw) - 10%;
- animal feed (cottage cheese, eggs);
- mineral supplements.
After the birth of a lamb, the sheep should receive a larger amount of feed fortified with vitamins, to which special animal supplements should be added. These include fermented milk products and chicken eggs. Be sure to monitor your water intake. The liquid must always be in the container. Otherwise, there may be problems with milk production, which will ultimately compromise the health of the lamb.
It is recommended to leave the sheep's diet as it was before giving birth. As a result of sudden changes, a disorder of the digestive system in lambs can occur. At the first stage, their diet should not differ from that which was still in the womb. You can gradually change the menu only on the third day after calving.
In addition, the amount of food depends on the number of lambs born. A sheep that has produced one litter produces 40% less milk than a female that has two. In the second case, the ewe spends much more energy to produce milk. At the same time, you need to accurately calculate the amount of food, because the sheep cannot be overfed.
How often to feed
After lambing, after 5-6 hours, the sheep should independently leave the afterbirth. To facilitate this process, the ewes are given 1.5 liters of warm water every 2 hours. If, as a result, the afterbirth itself does not come out, they call a veterinarian, otherwise blood poisoning may develop.
In the second half of the period, the lamb is fed three times a day. The animal should consume 4-5.25 kg of different food in total per day. The lower limit is suitable for females weighing up to 50 kg, and more food up to 60 kg. After calving, this amount of food should increase by 30% within a week.Because healthy feeding requires more energy and therefore more food.
Prohibited foods
Sheep are not allowed to consume dew-watered straw, hay or grass. They like it very much, but it causes bloating, which adversely affects the health of the ewes. As a result, milk production processes are disrupted, and energy is spent on the rehabilitation of the digestive system. This should never be allowed. Therefore, some pastoralists add some absorbent (charcoal) to their food.
You can not overfeed the animal during the initial period. Therefore, concentrates can be excluded from the diet. They are replaced by animal feed and plenty of succulent feed. It is important to maintain the level of microflora in the rumen of the sheep, so as not to cause disorders of the digestive system.
If fed with concentrate, then its amount should not exceed 500 grams per day. Nutrition is the main component of animal health. Therefore, this process must be approached carefully, everything must be calculated and properly fed to the sheep, especially after lambing.
