When the pasture is not enough - Feeding grain to supplement your animal’s diet
Oats, wheat, barley and sorghum are often used for supplement feeding of sheep when pastures are not adequate to meet the animals' dietary requirements. Sheep will also need roughage in the form of hay, if edible dry grasses are not available in the paddocks. You can also feed your livestock commercially made feed cubes or pellets. Refer to the instructions for quantities to feed your animals.Sheep requirements for supplementary feeding
When feeding oats:
Weaners- 2.2 kg per week each
Dry adult- 3 kg per week each
Six weeks prior to lambing- 3.8 kg per week each
Lactating ewe- 5.1 kg per week each
When feeding barley, wheat or sorghum:
Weaners- 1.8 kg per week each
Dry Adult- 2.4 kg per week each
Six weeks prior to lambing- 3 kg per week each
Lactating ewes- 4.2 kg per week each
Oats are the preferred grain to feed sheep and cattle as they are less likely to cause lactic acidosis- a process that can kill your stock. Introducing grain (or any new feed) must be done gradually to allow the rumen bacterial colonies to adapt to the changing environment and be able to process the food safely without making excessive lactic acid.
