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Supplementary feeding for sheep
Supplementary feeding is the additional supply of feed containing energy, protein or vitamins and minerals to grazing sheep that may be lacking in the pasture. It is important to ensure that the whole diet of the animal, including supplement and pasture, is balanced.
Supplementary feeding can be used to meet the nutritional needs of sheep at varying stages of their life, to increase their consumption of dry pasture, specific nutrients, or to improve growth rate, fertility, meat production or wool quality. Nutritional needs of sheep vary depending on age, size, pregnancy and lactation.
Feeding supplements has benefits and costs. If used effectively to overcome a nutritional deficiency or meet additional nutritional needs, the result can be healthy sheep that grow, reproduce, rear offspring and produce quality wool. However, supplementation can be expensive, time consuming and, if done incorrectly, can have severe impacts on the health of the sheep, even resulting in death.
This guide explains when and how to use supplementary feeding to improve production and keep sheep farms viable in dry season or drought. It will also help you decide when supplementation is likely to be cost-effective.
Nutritional needs of sheep
Sheep get their energy, protein, vitamins and minerals from the pasture or through supplemental feed. A limited supply of nutrients in the sheep's diet can lead to:
- weight loss
- low fertility
- high mortality
- increased risk of disease
- poor wool growth.
Sheep need a balanced diet containing energy (fat and carbohydrates), protein, vitamins, minerals and water.
Different nutritional needs of sheep
Nutritional needs vary greatly, depending on the size, age and physiological status of the sheep. For example:
- larger and older sheep sometimes need more nutrients than younger and smaller ones
- lactating or pregnant sheep need more nutrients than dry animals
- young, growing, pregnant or lactating animals sometimes need more protein than older, empty or dry animals
- in some cases, lactating sheep need more phosphorus than non-lactating sheep.
Use the healthy and contented sheep tool or read about the nutrient requirements of sheep to find out more about the needs of sheep at different stages.
Energy requirements of sheep
The energy component of a sheep's diet is the major driver of its performance. Sheep get their energy from pasture, hay, grains and soil seeds. If sheep are not getting enough energy there will be a decrease in wool and meat production and reproduction, and an increase in mortality and disease.
Protein requirements of sheep
When dietary protein levels become low, sheep cannot maintain weight and they start to mobilise body tissues to make up the shortfall in protein.
Low levels of protein reduce weaner growth rates, conception, pregnancy and lactation in breeding ewes, and productivity in general.
Mineral requirements of sheep
Major minerals that sheep need include phosphorus, sulphur and calcium. Small amounts of these minerals are needed to ensure sheep remain strong, healthy and produce good wool. Sheep can get minerals from water supply and various mineral supplements if necessary.
Vitamin requirements of sheep
Although vitamin deficiencies rarely occur in sheep, it's important to make sure they receive enough of the right vitamins to remain healthy, strong and productive. The most important are vitamin A, D, E, and the B group. Sheep can get vitamin A and vitamin E from green plant matter, hay and grain, and vitamin D from sunlight and fresh and dry feed.
Newborn lambs receive B complex vitamins from milk, and once weaned an active microbial population in the rumen will then usually make sufficient B vitamins to meet nutritional requirements.
Water requirements of sheep
Water is one of the most important daily requirements of sheep. They need between 2.5-18L per day. Water should be clean and contain minimal chemicals. Sheep generally consume 2-3 times the amount of water to dry feed, and if receiving high salt supplements may need more.
Also consider...
- Find out about managing sheep in drought.
Assessing pasture quantity and quality for sheep
Determining pasture quantity
It is important to regularly monitor the amount of feed you have available in your paddock for your sheep. An easy way to do this is to use pasture photo-standards which give you a rough idea how much pasture (in kilograms/hectare) you have based on a visual comparison.
Find out more about pasture photo-standards and corresponding yields for many areas in Queensland on the Future Beef website.
Determining pasture quality
To determine if your sheep need supplementary feeding and what kind of supplements they may need, you should firstly determine the quality of the pasture they are consuming. The most comprehensive way to do this is to conduct a Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) test (below); however, you can also use the following table as a rough guide.
Energy and digestibility in green and dry pasture
Green pasture | Dry pasture | |
---|---|---|
Energy | 10-12 MJ ME/kg DM | 7-9 MJ ME/kg DM |
Digestibility | 70-80% | 50-65% |
A useful resource to compare species is the pasture selection tool.
Conducting a Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) test
A NIRS test can help you work out if any supplementation is needed. Although NIRS testing is designed for cattle, there is currently no other option available for sheep.
The NIRS test analyses faecal samples to determine the quality of the pasture. It can be used to estimate the:
- amount of crude protein in the diet
- percentage of feed that is absorbed by the animal
- nitrogen concentration
- amount of plant material (non-grass) in the diet
- growth rate, based on a 300kg medium frame steer.
Collecting and submitting samples for NIRS testing
It is recommended that you collect fresh dung samples to avoid contamination from soil or other external elements.
When submitting your samples you should include information about the land systems, pastures species, rainfall, and animal class and stage of production for the paddock where the samples were taken.
Find out more about NIRS testing, including how to get your samples analysed.
Using results of the NIRS test
The results from the NIRS test can determine if supplementation is needed and what nutrients may need to be supplemented.
By repeating the NIRS test regularly a nutritional strategy can be established and monitored over time, ensuring both short and long-term nutritional requirements of the sheep are being met.
Before starting a supplementary feeding program for sheep
Before you start a supplementary feeding program, you should weigh up the potential benefits and risks to determine if it is worth going ahead with.
Assess the benefits and risks of a supplementary feeding program
Supplementation programs can be expensive, time consuming and yield poor results if they are not correctly planned. Consider the following factors before starting a supplementary feeding program:
- quality and quantity of the existing pasture
- number and type of sheep
- current and desired growth, pregnancy, weaning and wool production rates
- climate, including time of year, expected rainfall and temperatures
- existing nutritional endemic deficiencies
- other supplements that are available to overcome any nutrient deficiencies
- risks and benefits in feeding different types of feed and supplements
- equipment (including transport, mixing machinery and storage of supplements)
- impact on pasture and future production.
Choosing a supplementary feeding program for sheep
There are different types of supplementary feeding programs for sheep, depending on their needs. It's important to choose the supplements that will benefit your sheep the most.
Supplementary feeding programs for sheep include:
Also consider...
- Read an article comparing supplementary feed for sheep on the Western Australian Government's website.
Cottonseed supplementation for sheep
Cottonseed has been used extensively in Queensland as a feed supplement for sheep. It is a good source of energy (12-14 MJ ME/kg) and protein (19-24%), but should always be fed with adequate amounts of roughage (due to the scouring effects of the oil in cottonseed). It is important to monitor the performance of the sheep, and adjust feeding rates accordingly.
It is best not to feed cottonseed daily so that sheep don't gorge themselves and shy feeders have an opportunity to obtain some feed.
Health effects of cottonseed on sheep
Cottonseed should not be fed to weaner sheep under 5 months of age as their rumen is not developed enough to handle the ingredient gossypol (which is toxic to non-ruminant animals: horses, pigs and poultry).
Effects on fertility
Research data has demonstrated that cottonseed has no effect on ram fertility. There is also no evidence that cottonseed shouldn't be fed to lambing ewes.
Ad lib feeding
If allowed, sheep will eat up to 1000g of cottonseed per head per day in drought conditions when roughage levels are low. However, this is not recommended due to the scouring effects of the oil and the low levels of roughage in the diet.
Sheep will generally accept cottonseed as feed, but in some situations you may need to encourage them with more palatable feeds such as molasses or lucerne hay. It is usually only a matter of days before the whole flock accepts cottonseed.
Methods of feeding cottonseed
Paddock heaps
A common method of feeding cottonseed is to drop large mounds containing several days' supply into paddocks. The bulk carrier of the cottonseed will often do this when they deliver the feed.
Make sure the mound is placed on hard ground to minimise wastage. The cottonseed mound should be fenced with rolled weldmesh staked around the heap, or with an electric fence. The fencing should then be tightened onto the heap to restrict access but allow the sheep to feed in a semi ad-lib fashion.
Feeding in large paddock heaps reduces labour and results in minimal seed loss from dust; however, estimating feed intakes is difficult. Small mounds on hard ground can also be used, but some feed may be wasted if sheep walk or camp on the unfenced mound.
Trailed on the ground
When trailed onto hard ground little seed is lost, but there may be some dirt contamination in sandy soil. This method is best with 3-4 day feed outs (i.e. dump 3 or 4 days requirements at one time to give twice weekly feeding times). This will reduce labour, vehicle rushing, wastage, bullying, mismothering and force sheep to eat other roughage in the paddock if the supplement runs out.
Open troughs
Cottonseed can be fed in open troughs placed on the ground (provided there are enough troughs, volume and space to let the whole mob feed at the same time). Open troughs also give you the opportunity to mix cottonseed with cereal grains in advanced stages of drought when roughage and carbohydrate is scarce.
Hoppers or self-feeders
Some brands of hoppers or self-feeders are suitable for feeding cottonseed, but others - particularly grain feeders - are not, as the cottonseed does not flow into the trough. Check with the manufacturer before purchasing.
To overcome the problem of flow, mix cottonseed with grain at a ratio of about 40% cottonseed to 60% grain. At this rate of grain (or higher), the cottonseed flows easily, and intakes can be restricted by closing the shutter to a minimum release rate.
Feeding rates for different classes of sheep
The table below lists approximate feeding rates of cottonseed to sheep.
Class of stock | Daily supplement (grams per head) |
---|---|
Weaner sheep (older than five months) | 100 |
Dry ewes, wethers and rams | 150 |
Pregnant ewes | 200 |
Lactating ewes | 300 |
Cottonseed should be limited to 10-20% of the total dry matter intake.
Handling and storing cottonseed
Cottonseed has unique characteristics that require completely different on-property handling and storage systems to other supplements. The fluffy nature of white cottonseed doesn't allow it to be moved through augers or silos. When moving large quantities, front-end loaders and tip trucks are required, and when moving smaller amounts and filling troughs, shovels and forks are needed.
Sheds
Large open sheds that can accommodate front-end loaders are ideal for the storage of cottonseed, however the majority of properties don't have this type of infrastructure.
Storage out in the open
Cottonseed isn't greatly affected by weathering; therefore, you can store it on a well-drained site out in the open that is accessible to trucks and tractors.
Fencing and covering
Make sure the storage site you choose is well fenced so that animals and pets cannot get to the pile.
Covering is not required if the mound is maintained in a well-peaked shape that sheds water. Heaps in the open should not be covered with tarpaulins (unless only the top of the pile is covered), as the trapped moisture in the seed will cause mould and fungal growth. Also, because the cottonseed stack is not able to breathe, trapped heat could cause spontaneous combustion.
Spontaneous combustion
Fresh seed, straight from the gin, contains heat from handling friction and can spontaneously combust during storage. This heat should have gone by the time the cottonseed reaches the property. However, with very fresh seed, sometimes this doesn't happen, and continuous movement of the cottonseed stack is required to cool it down.
Cottonseed can also spontaneously combust if it is stored wet or stacked too high (greater than 5m). The moisture levels at time of purchase should be 14% or less.
Long-term storage and supply
Grain weevils are a potential threat to long-term storage and fumigation may be necessary. It's also advisable to store feed in bulk, as cottonseed is not always available to purchase.
Also consider...
- Read an article comparing supplementary feed for sheep on the Western Australian Government's website.
- Find out more about managing sheep in drought.
Feeding grain to sheep
When there is little paddock feed available it may be necessary to introduce sheep to full hand feeding on grain rations.
The fodder chosen should be well priced, readily available, and easy to store and handle. Some examples include wheat, barley, sorghum, corn and oats.
It is generally more economical to decrease stock numbers before intensive feeding.
The sheep that remain on the property should be confined to a smaller paddock, if possible, to minimise further damage being done to the land.
Grain requirements for sheep during drought
The weekly grain requirements for full hand feeding of sheep to maintain them during drought are shown in the table below.
Class | Wheat, barley, sorghum, corn (kg/week) | Oats (kg/week) |
---|---|---|
Weaners | 1.8 | 2.2 |
Adult (dry) | 2.4 | 3.0 |
Within 6weeks of lambing | 3.0 | 3.8 |
Lactating | 4.2 | 5.1 |
How to feed grain to sheep
There is no advantage in crushing the grain for sheep. Corn can be fed out on the ground but all other grains should be fed in troughs. Allow 1m of trough space for every 6 sheep.
If you are full hand feeding, feed in small areas where water and shade are available.
Conditioning sheep to eating grain
When sheep are not eating any dry paddock feed, they should be 'conditioned' to grain-feeding to avoid digestive upsets. Start by feeding a small amount of grain mixed with chaff, hay or other roughage for between 4 and 7 days and increase the amount of grain gradually over similar periods until sheep are receiving a full grain ration.
The frequency of feeds should also be lessened gradually. During the first and second periods sheep should be fed daily, then intermittent feeding should be introduced. By the fifth or sixth period, the feed should be put out once every 3-4 days.
Conditioning adult, dry and non-pregnant sheep
Examples of conditioning adult, dry, non-pregnant sheep is shown in the table below.
Periods (each 4-7 days) | Mixture % grain | Mixture % roughage | Grain (p/1000 sheep p/week -tonne) | Roughage (p/1000 sheep p/week -tonne) | TOTAL (p/1000 sheep p/week -tonne) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 40 | 60 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.5 |
2 | 50 | 50 | 1.6 | 1.6 | |
3 | 60 | 40 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.0 |
4 | 70 | 30 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 2.7 |
5 | 80 | 21 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 2.7 |
6 | 90 | 10 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 2.5 |
7 | 100 | 0 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 2.4 |
Grain poisoning
Take care introducing grain to sheep. Engorgement can cause grain poisoning (i.e. lactic acidosis). Symptoms are loss of appetite, lameness and scouring. If you notice grain poisoning, drop the grain ration back to the previous level for a few days.
Affected sheep can be drenched with 15g of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in 600ml of water. Repeat if necessary.
Losses can occur when sheep are given high protein feeds after a period of fasting or after moving from dry pastures to rapidly growing crops.
Minerals in grain
Grains are deficient in calcium, so mix 1-1.5% finely ground limestone into the full grain ration.
Vitamin supplementation when feeding grain
Vitamin A is present in green feed as carotene and is converted to vitamin A inside the sheep. Adult sheep normally carry enough vitamin A in their liver so should not need supplementation.
However, sheep may need additional vitamin A when:
- a full grain ration is fed for more than 1 year
- rams are to be joined after 2-6 months with no access to any green feed
- lambs are weaned from drought-affected mothers with depleted liver vitamin A reserves.
Also consider...
- Read an article comparing supplementary feed for sheep on the Western Australian Government's website.
- Find out more about managing sheep in drought.
- Read more about stock food standards and labelling.
Dry licks and urea supplementation for sheep
Dry licks are a practical way to provide nitrogen (e.g. urea) to sheep when they are protein deficient. They stimulate the sheep's appetite which can increase their intake of pasture by 20-30%; therefore, urea supplementation is only useful when sheep have access to a good body of dry feed. The increase in pasture intake can result in increased wool growth, and reduce the rate of weight loss and death rates.
Dry licks can be used to supplement major nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur. Attention is required to ensure that the sheep receive enough of the nutrient that is deficient in the diet.
Thorough mixing of the dry lick is required, preferably using a mechanical mixer. The dry lick should be available at all times, and fed in open-ended troughs, hollow logs or drums that have good drainage to allow rainfall to run off.
Urea toxicity
Most dry licks contain urea. To avoid urea toxicity or death, an introductory period is required in which only salt is fed. Providing only salt until the sheep satisfy their craving will prevent them from gorging supplements when they are first put out. Signs of urea toxicity include abdominal pain, muscle tremors, incoordination, weakness, laboured breathing and bloat. It is not recommended to feed rams urea, as it's not worth the risk of toxicity.
Dry lick recipes
Recipe 1: a cost-effective alternative to commercial prepared licks
Ingredients | Proportion* | Comments |
---|---|---|
Gran Am Kynofos Coarse salt |
2 2 4 | For sheep and cattle on mulga. Urea can be added to this lick at 1 part. |
Gran Am Kynofos Coarse salt Protein meal |
1 1 2 3-5 | For lactating ewes and cows in poor condition and early weaned calves on mulga |
*Parts by weight
Recipe 2: for sheep on mulga
Ingredients | Proportion in dry lick (parts by weight) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Kynofos mix | Biofos mix | DCP mix | |
Stock salt | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Sulphate of Ammonia | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Kynofos | 1 | - | - |
Biofos | - | 1 | - |
DCP | - | - | 1 |
Adding urea and molasses to dry licks
If plenty of dry grass is available, urea can be added to dry licks to increase the nitrogen content. The table below shows the recommended percentages for adding urea and molasses to a dry lick.
Recipe 3: adding urea and molasses to lick
Ingredient | Composition (%) |
---|---|
Stock salt | 40 |
Sulphate of Ammonia | 20 |
Kynofos, Biofos or dicalcium phosphate | 20 |
Urea | 10 |
Molasses | 10 |
Recipe 4: for lambing ewes or sheep in poor condition
For lambing ewes and sheep in very poor condition, protein meal should be added to the lick.
A suitable mix would be:
- 2 parts stock salt
- 1 part sulphate of ammonia
- 1 part Kynofos 21, Biofos or dicalcium phosphate
- up to 6 parts protein meal.
This dry lick will be more palatable, especially if vegetable protein meals are used, and consumption rates will increase.
Recipe 5: turning a dry lick into a block
Ingredients | Order of mixing | Units of mix % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
5% urea | 10% urea | 15% urea | ||
Hot water | 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Molasses | 2 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Urea | 3 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
Salt | 4 | 15 | 10 | 10 |
Bran | 5 | 15 | 15 | 10 |
Sulphate of Ammonia (Gran Am®) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Bentonite | 7 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Note: this mix should be dried in the sun for 7 days.
An optimum size block is about 6-8kg.
Also consider...
- Find out more about managing sheep in drought.
- Read more about stock food standards and labelling.
Fortified molasses supplements for sheep
Molasses is one of the cheapest sources of energy for sheep, but it requires protein to make it more nutritionally balanced. The main disadvantages of molasses are that it is difficult to store, handle and mix unless you are well set up and the molasses is handled in bulk.
When on molasses-based supplements, sheep should always have access to roughage to prevent digestive upsets. Remember, the molasses can cover sheep's wool, which will have to be removed at shearing if the molasses is not washed out by rain.
Molasses for older stock
An 8% protein meal/molasses mix (25kg meal: 200L of molasses) is suitable for maintenance of older stock.
Molasses for weaners and poor stock
A 16% protein meal/molasses mix (50kg meal: 200L molasses) is suitable for weaners and poor stock.
Adding urea to molasses
You can add 1.5% urea (thoroughly dissolved) to the mix to improve the protein content and still keep it relatively safe (5kg: 200L of molasses).
Feeding molasses in open troughs
Below is a recipe for fortified molasses, to be fed in open troughs.
M 1.5U 8PM: | M8U: | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
kg | % | kg | % | |
Molasses | 270 | 90.5 | 270 | 92 |
Urea | 5 | 1.5 | 23 | 8 |
Protein meal | 25 | 8 | - | - |
300 | 293 |
Key:
M1.5U8Pm = molasses + 1.5% urea = 8% protein meal by weight
M8U = molasses + 8% urea by weight (sour taste controls intake)
One litre of molasses weighs 1.3-1.4kg and 200 litres weighs approx 270kg
Feeding molasses in a roller drum
Below is a recipe for a molasses mix, to be fed in a roller drum.
Days | 1 to 3 | 4 to 7 | 8 to 14 | 14 plus |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starter mix (litres) | Build up (litres) | Build up (litres) | Final mix (litres) | |
Water | 100 | 100 | 125 | 150 |
Molasses | 100 | 100 | 100 | 50 |
Urea | 0 | 5kg | 10kg | 20kg |
Urea (%) | 0 | 2 | 3.7 | 8.5 |
Note: The urea must be completely dissolved and stock must not have direct access to the mix.
In the event of rain causing the stock to leave the feeders for a few days, reduce the urea in the mix for a day or 2. Do not let the roller drums become empty.
Also consider...
- Find out more about managing sheep in drought.
- Read more about stock food standards and labelling.
Using hay for supplementary feeding for sheep
Any type of pasture can be made into hay, but the quality of hay is determined by the quality of plants used. Good quality hay cannot be produced from poor quality pasture.
Improving the quality of pasture hay
The quality of pasture hay can be improved by fortifying bales with nitrogen, minerals and other ingredients to improve intake and digestibility. Freshly made bales should not be treated until at least 3-4 weeks after baling to give them time to settle.
A common treatment solution for 1t of hay is 16kg urea, 4kg sulphate of ammonia and 70L of molasses dissolved in 50L of water and impregnated into bales (weighing 0.5-0.75t) with a spear.
Nutritional value of hay
The table below lists the nutritional value of some common forms of hay.
Hay | Digestibility % | Crude protein % | Metabolisable energy MJ/kg |
---|---|---|---|
Lucerne | 45-55 | 12-25 | 8-9 |
Sorghum | 45-55 | 7-10 | 7.5 |
Grass | from 40-60% | ||
- young leafy | 15 | 9 | |
- early bloom | 9 | 7.5 | |
- mature | 6 | 7 | |
- hayed off | 3 | 5 |
Management practices to reduce waste of hay
Buying or producing hay can be expensive; however, the following management practices can help reduce waste, which is important during a drought.
- Feed sufficient hay every third day - hay should not be fed daily as it encourages stock to remain at the feeding site, and reduces the time spent grazing. It can also ensure all sheep are fed sufficiently (rather than more aggressive sheep eating most of the hay, there will be enough for the timid sheep as well).
- Limit stock access to hay to minimise wastage by either using a feeder or temporary fencing. Feed hay in well-drained areas to minimise soil and pasture damage and prevent water damage to the hay.
- Move the feeding site around the paddock to encourage stock to graze the whole paddock and to minimise the damage to any one area of the pasture.
- Don't feed spoiled, rotted or mouldy hay, as it will often be refused by all but the hungriest of stock and will result in more waste during feeding.
Also consider...
- Find out more about managing sheep in drought.
- Read more about stock food standards and labelling.
© The State of Queensland 1995–2024
- Last reviewed: 08 Sep 2021
- Last updated: 08 Sep 2021