# Fattening a Ewe



## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

I've got a 3 year old EF ewe who lambed twice last year: first was triples in Janurary (lost 2 at birth) then a second time in August. I dried her off in June or july and didn't milk after the second lamb since she seemed a bit skinny at the time. Shes still skinny. Very skinny. Shes been wormed and her eye color is very healthy.

I'd been feeding her a cup or two of spent grain every morning thinking that would do the trick then added alfalfa to breakfast but it didn't. I sheared her and shes a 2 on the charts. I've increased the alfalfa and grain and i swear shes getting skinnier! Shes probably a week from lambing and I'm doing all i can figure to get her to put on weight. Of course its all going to the lambs and udder. There is a small part thats worried the lambs are going to be huge with all this food.

Any tips on putting weight back on a lactating ewe one she lambs? Something like corn or split peas? daily dose of molassas?


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Lambing 2x in one year is pretty hard on them. Have you tried beet pulp or dried molasses? Worming?


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

I would be working her up to a couple pounds a day of good quality grain, (we use barley, wheat and peas, no need for grinding for sheep), and the best hay you have, as much as she will eat. We had a very thin ewe this fall as well, and she responded well to the extra treatment and gained condition over time. Sheep respond fairly slowly in terms of gaining body condition, relative to how fast they can lose it.

A 2 bcs is not the end of the world at least. A two is recoverable. And make sure she has mineral access to SHEEP mineral and obviously water at all times. Proper mineral intake promotes efficiency of feed use, and will help her along quicker as well.

Good luck, it is tough when this happens, and I know the feeling when you look at your flock and that one is so thin.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

When was she last de wormed and with what?
I ask,, because there are a number of worms that will pull a sheep down and their eye color will look fine.

If you are in NW Oregon, I would also be worried about Liverfluke.

Has she been vaccinated? 

Farmer Dale and CL gave some good advise.

I would also recommend giving her a break in having lambs... if you want to keep her productive for the rest of her life.
Get her weight back up and healthy before you breed her again.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

I believe there's 3 kinds of wormers for the zillions of worms out there, none cover everything, so you need to find out what worms she has first or use all three types of wormers in a row. 

Since she's bred again, she needs a ton of food to rebuild from before and now the new, 3rd set of lambs. A cup is nothing, especially when thin and during the last month of pregnancy.

Try whole grains and/or a lamb protein feed. But get the un-medicated one, if your store even carries it. Mine looked at me like I was stupid not to drug my animals constantly....ugh


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

So she lambed twice in 2014 and is ready to lamb again shortly? That's incredibly hard on sheep unless they have really high quality feed, and grass fed isn't going to cut it. 

I'd do what Dale suggested, up her feed. After she lambs, up it even further (I personally would feed a bare minimum of 2 lbs of a 16% ration), and give her free choice alfalfa and grass hay.

It's going to be hard on her to feed lambs and gain weight...likely she won't gain much weight until she weans her lambs. I'd consider weaning them at 8 weeks. They'll be fine, just give them alfalfa hay and possibly some grain too. Then when the lambs are weaned, I would not milk her. I'd give her water and grass hay only, until she's dry. If you have to milk her, then I would keep her feed up. If she continues to lose weight, dry her off. 

In typical accelerated lambing schedules, lambing 3 times in 2 years is pretty common. She's on track for 4 times in 2 years. Are you scheduling her breeding, or has she been running with the ram?


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

She's been running with a ram. Her first year she didn't have a summer lamb, but this year she did. Her summer lamb was a suprise. She will get a break and alot more food. Her daughters are starting to thin out during this last week of gestation, too, even with increased feeding. Polly, on the other hand, has a perfect body weight and shes older than everyone!

Once lambs happen we'll do another round of worming after a fecal. 

I swear she is getting skinner even with added feed. Look at this: Obioviously lots of lambs in there.


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

She doesn't look devastated. Yet.

I asked in another post but didn't get an answer. I'm thinking about adding rice bran to my dairy ewe's stand ration. I use it for my cows and my goats, can't see any reason at 0.9mg per cup why Cu would be an issue. I've used it reliably for 20+ years to gain up horses...


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

Oh, I looked up rice bran. For dairy sheep it seemed so-so.

I started giving her my home grown OP corn (which I have a limited amount of) with 12% protein, half a cup of sunflower seeds and a touch of molassas. seems like shes responding to THAT! Responding with *nomnomnomnom!* 8wagwagwag8


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

My dairy ration sits at about 17% protein. It has BOSS, oats, barley and wheat, sprouted. I also add dried cane molasses and match it by weight with alfalfa pellets. 

My dairy ewes did well on this last year, produced 1-1.5 qt twice a day in late lactation (6+ mo fresh) after never having been milked. 

I'll let you know how it works to add rice bran!


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