# Spoiled sheep won't eat hay...



## MechanicalBird (Sep 21, 2014)

We still have a little green forage around but I think i've spoiled my sheep on pelleted feed. I've been giving them one scoop in the am and one in the pm. Five sheep total. 
They won't touch the hay I have for them. Just wondering if anyone has some strategy to get them on hay. This feed is getting to be costly. Thanks!


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

Just stop feeding them, haha. Eventually they'll get hungry and eat.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Pretty simple, reduce the amount of pellets and they will eat the hay.

How much does a "scoop" of feed weigh by the way? I'm not familiar with that as a standard unit of measure.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

Are they bred? If not, they don't need the grain/pellet. Just stuff a hay net with hay and wait.


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## MechanicalBird (Sep 21, 2014)

Thanks for your replies. They are 9-10 months old. 1 ram, 4 ewes and they have been mating so good chance they are bred. 
How much feed should I supplement if they are bred? Thanks.


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

MechanicalBird said:


> Thanks for your replies. They are 9-10 months old. 1 ram, 4 ewes and they have been mating so good chance they are bred.
> How much feed should I supplement if they are bred? Thanks.



I have 20 bred ewes and a ram, and do not feed grain. Ymmv.


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## MechanicalBird (Sep 21, 2014)

lexierowsell said:


> I have 20 bred ewes and a ram, and do not feed grain. Ymmv.



How much hay are you feeding per head?


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

I'm really not much use to you, I have pasture. My point was only that just because they're pregnant, doesn't mean they need grain. 

There are people here that don't feed grain, but do feed hay. Hopefully they'll chime in.


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## birchtreefarm (Jul 22, 2007)

MechanicalBird said:


> How much hay are you feeding per head?



What breed of sheep are they/how big are they? Sheep should get 2-3% of body weight in hay per day. So a 100lb sheep should get 2-3lbs of hay, minimum. A lot depends though on the quality of the hay. Poor quality first cutting means feeding a lot more because they will pick their way around the tough stemmy bits. We feed only second cutting, and try to get something with at least some clover or alfalfa mixed in. Doesn't need to be pure alfalfa (although they would certainly love that!).

We have Icelandics and aim for 5lbs of hay per head per day. When we were breeding, if the hay was good enough, no additional feed was needed. When the hay was not good enough, we fed 16% sheep pellets, alfalfa pellets, soybean meal, sunflower seed (black oil), beet pulp pellets; usually a mix of any of the above.

Best thing is to get your hay tested so you know what protein levels you have. 

Dairy One can do forage testing: http://www.dairyone.com/ or check with your local extension office.

MSU has a free sheep ration calculation site (need to sign up for a free PIN):
http://www.msusheepration.montana.edu/Account/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=/login.aspx

Then you can plug in your hay testing results, pick the sex/age of sheep you are feeding, and see if the hay is good enough or if you need to add something.


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## Cook-Family (Apr 29, 2014)

How much experience do you have with livestock and hay? I'm not trying to be a wise-guy, it's just that the sheep may be telling you something about the hay. Did you harvest the hay, or buy it? Purchased hay could have been sprayed with a herbicide for weeds, and then not had enough rain to rinse it from the hay before cutting. I could be extremely poor quality. I have bought bales that appeared fine to me, by they would barely pick at it. Found a different source of hay, and they began eating it as I pulled it from the truck.

After saying all that, I agree with Lexie and some others, the pellets aren't exactly necessary for ruminants with good forage.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Sometimes you&#8217;ll get a bale that got wet. Moldy hay. They will not eat it. If they do eat it they run the risk of dying. Stop feeding pellets. Put in a new bale of hay. When they are done with the hay, put in the first bale and see if they will eat it.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Perhaps you can skip the morning scoop? I believe it is killing their appetites! AFTER they have eaten hay, in the evening, I would give them a scoop. 

I would say the evening scoop because they are still young themselves and they are also growing babies. Then again I have no sheep, so my free advice may be worth nothing!

(I like what Cook-Family says about the hay, by the way. It might not be good hay.)


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## sonofman (Dec 13, 2014)

This reminds me of when I ran out of cat food. The cats didn't want to eat eggs the first day. After a day of not eating, those eggs looked pretty good on day two. Hahaha.

Your sheep will eat the hay when they become hungry. That's all there is to it. Stick to your guns and have faith. They will come around.


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## MechanicalBird (Sep 21, 2014)

Thanks for the help. I don't have any experience with hay or livestock. This is my first year owning sheep. Not sure on hay quality. Bought it from the local farm store so it could go either way I guess. I will cut out the morning ration and see what happens. Thanks!


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