Key Points of Winter Sheep Flock Feeding and Management Techniques

In winter, the weather is cold, the forage is coarse and hard, and nutrients are lost. Sheep flocks face many difficulties with winter grazing, especially ewes in the gestation period, which need nutrition themselves, and the growth and development of the fetus requires even more nutrition. Grazing alone cannot meet their nutritional needs. The only measure is supplementary feeding.

Supplementary feeding.

In early winter there is plenty of hay and tree leaves, and the weather is not very cold. If the sheep are grazed after the sun rises and grazed continuously from noon until they return in the evening, the flock can still eat its fill and maintain body condition. In deep winter, the snow is thick, and on shaded slopes snow often accumulates and is difficult to melt. Forage is scarce, so grazing should be done on sunny slopes or on leeward and high, dry grassland. On windy and snowy days, they can be grazed along valleys and ditches. On windy and snowy days when they cannot be taken out to graze, supplementary feeding must be carried out in time. If supplementary feeding is too late, they will quickly lose body condition. Generally, from early November to May of the following year is the supplementary feeding period or housing period. Generally, supplementary feeding is done twice a day: once before going out to graze in the morning, and once after returning from grazing in the evening. The method of supplementary feeding is hay first, then concentrate, and then succulent feed and silage. Minerals can be added to the hay and feed and given to them. The amount of supplementary feeding can be calculated based on the body weight of the sheep and the number of sheep, working out the amount of forage and feed for one day and night, then subtracting the amount of forage obtained from grazing, which gives the amount of feed that should be supplemented.

The transition from grazing to supplementary feeding or full-day housing requires a stage of daily adaptation, generally about 10 days. The method is to gradually shorten the grazing time day by day and increase the amount of supplementary feeding in the morning and evening, so that the sheep gradually adapt to and become accustomed to housing. In the early stage of housing, good-quality hay should be fed, and after the sheep become accustomed to it, ordinary hay can be fed to prevent a sudden drop in nutrition. Doing this will enable the sheep to adapt quickly to housing; otherwise, diseases such as indigestion will occur and cause economic losses. After housing, attention must be paid to the hygiene, dryness, and ventilation of the pen, and the sheep should be allowed to maintain an appropriate amount of exercise, which is beneficial to the health of the sheep and the normal delivery of ewes.