Do Your Sheep Receive Optimal Nutrition?

However, for most production-oriented flocks, optimizing nutrition can also translate into optimum efficiency and profitability. Optimum nutrition is one of the best practices recommended by the American Lamb Industry Roadmap Project as a means to improve production efficiency in sheep flocks.

A closer look at optimizing nutrition might start with body condition scoring the flock. Ewes should have a body condition score of 3 or slightly less on a 5-point scale as they enter the breeding season. This allows flushing to have a higher impact on ovulation rates and can lead to more twins being born during lambing season. Many sheep producers who raise breeds that lamb out of season have likely weaned lambs born during the winter and turned ewes out with rams in April or May to breed for fall-born lambs.

These ewes are likely to be below a body condition score of 3 if they did a good job producing milk for their winter-born lambs. Turning them out on spring grass is a great way to increase their nutritional plane and thus encourage higher ovulation rates. Fall breeding programs can also take advantage of lush pasture growth, or producers can add ½ lb. of grain per head per day to the daily diet to increase energy in the ration and promote higher ovulation rates.

Throughout gestation, pasture or other forages should provide sufficient protein and energy to meet the nutritional requirements for maintaining ewe body condition. It really isn't until the last third of gestation that nutritional requirements begin to increase. A quick look at the 1985 National Research Council nutritional requirements for sheep shows that the energy requirement (TDN or total digestible nutrients) for a ewe that weighs 80 kg (176 lb.) increases from 0.72 kg (1.58 lb.) during maintenance to 1.3 kg (2.86 lb.) during the last four weeks of gestation. This will jump again to 1.95 kg (4.29 lb.) during the first six to eight weeks of nursing twins. Bear in mind that the crude protein requirements also increase from 122 g (0.27 lb.) to 223 g (0.49 lb.) to 435 g (0.96 lb.) during that same timeframe.

Sheep that don't receive adequate nutrition, especially during the last third of gestation, are more likely to produce smaller and less vigorous lambs. Lamb size and vigor become very important when lambing during cold temperatures. It can be critical for lambs to get up and nurse as quickly as possible to promote lamb survival. From a shepherd's standpoint, healthy and vigorous lambs typically result in a lot less labor during lambing season. Every shepherd prefers to see lambs up and nursing when they get to the barn!

Nutrition can also affect colostrum quality and quantity. A large number of interactions occur at birth, contributing to lamb survival, including weather conditions, energy reserves, competition with siblings, and mothering ability. Lamb survival rates increase significantly if the lambs receive adequate colostrum intake within 48 hours after birth. During the first 48 hours, and especially the first 24 hours, lambs can absorb essential antibodies that protect their health status until their immune system begins to function at a higher level. Adequate colostrum intake is also necessary for thermoregulation, which is the lamb's ability to maintain its body temperature. Good nutrition for the ewe prior to lambing can increase both the quality and quantity of colostrum and can also help to promote milk production.

One essential aspect of nutrition for optimal performance is water. Sheep should have access to an adequate supply of clean and fresh water at all times. Water consumption can affect feed consumption and, therefore, plays a significant role in nutrition. According to the Sheep Production Handbook, "water consumption is about twice the weight of the air-dry feed intake." So, for every four pounds of dry feed that a sheep consumes, that sheep would also need to drink about a gallon of water. Keep in mind that water requirements increase during hot weather.

Mineral programs play another crucial role in achieving optimal nutrition. While minerals may seem like an expensive part of nutrition, they pay for themselves very quickly. Not only does a good mineral program promote healthy sheep, but it can also play a factor in reproduction and growth rates. Always feed a high-quality salt and mineral mix formulated for sheep that serves as the sole salt source for the flock.

Follow good nutrition practices to keep sheep healthy and highly productive. This is just one step that can improve production and profitability in a sheep flock. Check out "Best Practices to Increase Your Lamb Crop," produced by the American Lamb Board, for other practices that can improve production.