What feed makes sheep grow fast? Key points for choosing fattening feed
Sheep grow fast when fed green feed combined with straw, or a combination of roughage and concentrate. Sheep have different nutritional needs at different growth stages, so a certain amount of concentrate must be fed according to the sheep's body condition and nutritional needs.
Besides the feed itself, attention must also be paid to the feeding method:
1. Forage must be clean. Do not feed moldy or spoiled forage; pick out string, plastic (10260, 20.00, 0.20%) film and other impurities from the forage. Make sure there is no leftover forage or water in the trough. Once a feed formula is determined, do not change it arbitrarily; if a change is necessary, make it gradually.
2. Drinking water must be of good quality. Do not let sheep drink sewage from ditches or ponds. Give ewes that have just given birth warm water within one week.
3. Combine barn feeding with grazing. In spring when there is no green grass, feed chopped straw, weeds and leaves twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, mixed with some silage or ammoniated feed. As the weather warms up and green grass sprouts, drive the sheep out to graze for about 2 hours after the morning dew has dried and again in the afternoon, which is enough for them to eat their fill.
4. Night feeding is essential. In the evening, give grazing sheep swill with some feed added for them to drink. For pregnant ewes, flexibly manage supplemental feeding according to the length of pregnancy and their fat or thin condition. In addition, feed the sheep some urea every evening: 20-30 granules per adult sheep and about 10 granules per weaned lamb, mixed into the concentrate. Note that urea must not be fed directly, nor placed in water for drinking. At the same time, give the sheep some salt, generally 5-6 grams for adult sheep, reduced accordingly for lambs. Also check whether the sheep have eaten their fill while grazing; for those that have not, supplement some forage.
5. Feed at fixed times and in fixed amounts. Concentrate must not be given in excess; for ewes that have lambed, overeating should be prevented to avoid anorexia and indigestion. For ewes, feed must not be increased too quickly before or after lambing; increase it gradually to avoid diseases such as loss of appetite after lambing and udder edema. The amount of feed must be accurate, weighed on a scale, not estimated.
When mixing feed for sheep, the cost must also be fully considered; appropriately reducing feed cost is also a good way to increase returns.