Feeding: Troughs and Hay Racks for a Calm Feed Face in the Shed
The feed face decides how the rest of the day goes. Here you find troughs and racks where every animal eats at once and eats clean.
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Kerbl Feed Trough Long for Hooking In, 42 Litre, Fibreglass-Reinforced
Sale price: €53.90 Regular price: €58.99 (8.63% saved)
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Kerbl Feeding Rack for Sheep, Goats, Calves, No Roof
Sale price: €333.58 Regular price: €336.00 (0.72% saved)
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Kerbl Long Feed Trough with Float Valve, 42 Litres, Plastic, Stainless Steel Pipe
Sale price: €91.52 Regular price: €99.90 (8.39% saved)
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Kerbl Tyre Trough for Horses 15 L, robust polyethylene feed trough
Sale price: €25.56 Regular price: €33.59 (23.91% saved)
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Kerbl Long Feed Trough with Feeding Grill for Sheep & Goats
Sale price: €24.95 Regular price: €24.99 (0.16% saved)
Kerbl Ket-o-Vital Paste for Dairy Cows, Sheep & Goats, 300 ml
Regular price: €12.09
Feeding: Where the Feed Gets Eaten Instead of Wasted
Feed costs money, and a good part of it is lost not inside the animal but at the feed face. Trampled hay, fouled concentrate and weaker animals that never get near: those are the three losses that the right troughs and racks put a stop to. For that we stock long feed troughs and hay racks for sheep and goats, plus supplement feed for the difficult weeks.
Space, pecking order and hygiene
The most important point is the plainest one: there has to be enough feed space so that every animal can eat at the same time. Otherwise the bossy ewes push the weaker ones away, and you see the difference weeks later on the scales. The second point is hygiene. Sheep climb into open troughs if they can, and then the feed is finished. A feed barrier solves it, because the animals only put their heads through. With hay the same idea works the other way round: a rack releases the hay slowly, the animal plucks instead of burrowing, and less ends up under its feet. A roof over the rack keeps the rest dry when it stands outside.
Feeding right through the year
The requirement swings a great deal. In late pregnancy and during lactation it rises sharply, while on good summer grass it almost disappears. Allow for that by introducing concentrate slowly and raising the amount over several days, because the rumen needs time to adjust. For the critical weeks after lambing there are also energy pastes for dairy cows, sheep and goats, which let you support a single animal without changing the whole ration. And remember: where a lot of feed goes in, the water requirement rises with it. Trough and waterer should be planned together.
Frequently asked questions
Trough or rack, what do I need?
Both. The trough is for concentrate and minerals, the rack is for hay. Forage stays a great deal cleaner in a rack.
How do I stop sheep standing in the trough?
With a feed barrier over the trough. The animals only put their heads through and cannot get their feet into the feed.
How fast can I raise the concentrate?
In small steps over several days. A sudden large amount can bring on rumen acidosis.
Trough and Rack in the Sheep Shed
Split the feed face by what you are actually feeding. Concentrate, minerals and wet feed belong in Feed Trough. There you find long troughs of 42 litres, with a feed barrier against climbing in, with a float valve for the water supply or in a glass fibre reinforced version, plus transport cribs of 12 litres that hook on. Hay and forage run through Hay Rack. A rack releases the hay slowly, so the animals pluck instead of burrowing and less ends up under their feet. There are versions with and without a roof, a corner rack for the end of the shed, the Comfort-Line ring rack at 1.45 metres and a rack for the calf hutch. In both cases plan enough space for every animal to eat at once.