The Best Feed Formula for Ewes, and What to Do If a Ewe Won't Eat
SummaryFor non-pregnant ewes: wheat bran 19%, soybean meal 17%, baking soda 1%, corn 58%, premix 5%. For pregnant ewes: wheat bran 14%, soybean meal 200%, baking soda 1%, corn 60%, premix 5%. For lactating ewes: wheat bran 9.5%, soybean meal 24%, baking soda 1.5%, corn 60%, premix 5%. If a ewe won't eat, feed her small amounts more frequently, and give her an appropriate amount of stomach-toning medicine.
I. The Best Feed Formula for Ewes
1. Non-pregnant ewes: wheat bran 19%, soybean meal 17%, baking soda 1%, corn 58%, premix 5%.
2. Pregnant ewes: wheat bran 14%, soybean meal 200%, baking soda 1% , corn 60%, premix 5%.
3. Lactating ewes: wheat bran 9.5%, soybean meal 24%, baking soda 1.5% , corn 60%, premix 5%.
II. What to Do If a Ewe Won't Eat
1. Around the first month after a ewe conceives is an important period for the growth and development of the lamb fetus. Generally, after a ewe has grazed and been supplement-fed enough to feel full, she still needs an appropriate amount of concentrate supplement based on her health condition. After a ewe has been pregnant for 3 months, the total volume of forage fed should be appropriately controlled, and both forage and concentrate should be supplement-fed in small amounts more frequently, along with an appropriate amount of stomach-toning medicine, to avoid feeding too much at one time and pressing on the lamb fetus.
2. After a ewe has been pregnant for 4 months, the amount of concentrate fed needs to be increased to 2 times that of the early pregnancy period, and she should also be given more tender grass and succulent green feeds such as carrots, but it is not recommended to feed potatoes or distillers' grains, or undisinfectÂed cottonseed cake and rapeseed cake.
3. Do not feed ewes moldy, spoiled, overly cold, overly hot or overly acidic feed, otherwise it will cause miscarriage, difficult birth or postpartum diseases in ewes.
4. About 30 days before lambing, the amount of roughage fed should be appropriately controlled, and soft, green and succulent feeds should be given as much as possible; the amount of bran in the concentrate can be appropriately increased to help promote bowel movements in the ewe. About 10 days before the ewe gives birth, the amount of feed should be appropriately reduced according to the ewe's digestion and appetite.
5. Usually, about 7 days before lambing, thin and weak ewes will show shrunken udders. In addition to reducing the amount of roughage fed, it is also necessary to appropriately increase protein-rich milk-promoting feeds such as hemp cake, soybean milk, soybean cake and soybean dregs, as well as green and succulent laxative feeds, to prevent a lack of milk after lambing.
6. About 2-3 days before lambing, the ewe's udder will swell and be accompanied by edema under the abdomen. Generally, the amount of feed in the daily ration needs to be reduced by 1/2-1/3, to prevent too much milk or milk that is too thick in the early postpartum period, which can cause milk reabsorption, mastitis and lamb diarrhea.