The feeding of your sheep consists mainly of grass. If the grass is lacking, your sheep needs other fodder such as hay or coarse fodder. Concentrated food provides a little extra to animals if their state of health requires it, during gestation or lactation.
How do I determine the shape of my sheep?
You must define the amount of coarse forage and concentrated feed according to the needs of your sheep. Apply hand pressure on the spine. Do the vertebrae protrude and do you feel them pointing very clearly? In this case, your sheep is too lean. If you only feel the vertebrae by pressing a little, the animal has a good weight. In a sheep that is too large, you do not feel the vertebrae and a fold runs through the back.
Sheep must ruminate.
Sheep are ruminants. They have four stomachs. The anterior stomachs are the belly, the cap and the rumen. The last stomach – real stomach – is called the curd. Your animals first ruminate their food superficially; these then arrive in the first two stomachs. This is where a fermentation process takes place, during which the food is digested in the form of pellets that your sheep expels to finely chew them and impregnate them with saliva. When he swallows the food bowl, it continues its way through all the stomachs. This process allows your animal to perfectly digest and draw all the useable nutrients from its food before it is completely digested.
To ensure good digestion, the raw fibres present in coarse forage are essential for them. A sufficient amount of coarse forage with a rich structure neutralises the acidification of the belly, appearing during the transformation of carbohydrates. Foods that have been chewed and re-masticised for a long time stimulate saliva secretion.
Some types of coarse fodder:
The grass
Hay,
The sled grass or the pre-sautéed
The straw
Composition of feed for sheep
Food for sheep is composed of dry matter and water. Dry matter is divided into organic matter, digestible matter and non-digestible inorganic matter. Organic materials are – for example – proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Calcium, phosphorus and sodium are – for example – inorganic materials.
What is the difference between grass, hay and silage grass?
Fresh grass is rich in protein and other nutrients. Hay is the grass that has been left to dry for five to seven days in the fields. It therefore preserves better than ensiled grass. Syllated grass is wet grass that is dried only a few days and preserved by fermentation. It is wetter compared to hay (the percentage of dry matter in the grass is 55 to 65% and that of hay is 80%). Give grass only when it has been harvested in ideal conditions and does not contain soil. Otherwise, it could contain listerias.
Buy quality hay. Indeed, animals do not differentiate between toxic plants dried and hidden in hay and edible grass and eat them.
Is straw a food that is suitable for my sheep?
Straw is coarse forage, but has a relatively low nutritional value. It is perfect as a soft litter in the sheepfold. Snacking on straw is perfect for your animals. Snacking keeps the digestive system active.
Fortifying foods
Fortifying fodder or pellets for sheep and lambs is a small food, but nevertheless with rich nutritional value. The increased energy, vitamin and mineral requirements of sheep depend on the following elements:
Their consumption of grass and other coarse fodder
Their race
Their age
The weather conditions
Your expectations and the purpose of your sheep breeding
Food has a major impact on your pet’s health. Too much food has as many disadvantages as insufficient food. Also pay particular attention to the condition of your sheep.
Teething and grazing
It is at the level of the teeth and molars of sheep that their digestion begins. Only the lower jaw of your animals is filled with teeth. The molars are present in the lower and upper jaw. In total, an adult dentition has 24 molars and 8 teeth. The sheep graze by compressing their teeth against the hard and toothed edge of the upper jaw. The teeth of the oldest sheep generally deteriorate. Check regularly if the dentition does not have abnormalities and – if necessary – call the veterinarian.