Sheep Feed: Balanced Daily Rations for Ewes, Lambs and Rams

Sheep Feed: Sound Nutrition for Ewes, Lambs and Rams

What goes in the trough shapes everything else: fleece quality, milk yield, fertility and how well your lambs grow. Alongside grass, hay and silage, a complete feed or a targeted mineral supplement closes the gaps that forage alone leaves open. Here you will find feed for every stage of the sheep year, from tupping and late pregnancy through to lactation and lamb rearing.

Complete Feeds, Minerals and Licks

Concentrate feed brings energy and protein into the ration when grazing is thin or demand is high, which is exactly what a ewe carrying twins or milking hard needs. Mineral feeds and licks supply the trace elements that pasture often lacks, and the animals help themselves as they need them. Licks are easy to place in the shed or out on the field, and a spot near water or the loafing area gets used most. Watch the copper content, because sheep are far more sensitive to it than cattle, and never feed a cattle mix to your flock.

Organic Feeding and Changing Rations

If you farm organically, you need feed that fits your certification. Organic sheep feed is produced to those rules, so it slots straight into your paperwork. Whatever you feed, change rations slowly over several days so the rumen flora can adjust, because sudden switches invite digestive upsets. Give every animal enough space at the barrier as well, or the shy ones go short while the bold ones overeat. Keep fresh water available at all times, store feed dry and cool where rodents cannot get in, and read the feeding rate on the label before you scoop.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much concentrate does a ewe need?
That depends on her body condition, the forage on offer and whether she is dry, in lamb or milking. Take the feeding rate on the label as your starting point and adjust by condition scoring.

Can I feed cattle or goat feed to sheep?
Better not. Sheep tolerate much less copper than other livestock, and mixes made for cattle or goats are often far too rich in it. Always choose a feed that is labelled for sheep.

Do sheep need a lick if they are out at grass?
Usually yes. Pasture rarely covers every trace element across the whole season, so a lick or a mineral feed is a simple way to fill the gaps and keep intake steady week after week.