new to sheep

[Briard'nSheep]

Monday we will be getting 4 Kathadin ewes one of which has a lamb at its side. Our small temporary fence and sheep enclosure is almost complete. Temporary since we will be fencing in the entire property by the end of the month.

Our property is mainly trees and shrubs with some tall grasses throughout. Not the best pasture, but we hope the sheep will help us clear the property a little bit. (Yes, goats would have been a better choice, but we'd be afraid that they would find a million ways to hop over the fence!!)

A friend of ours is giving us hay since his cattle is on pasture now and the cows would refuse to eat the "old" hay by fall. What other feeds should I get for the sheep, mineral block, grains, etc?

Thanks!!

 

[bonbean01]

How exciting!!!! We love our sheep and I'm sure you will too

Not sure how available loose minerals are in your area...here it is online ordering only with shipping fees, so instead we buy a sheep/lamb pelleted feed that we can get locally and it has minerals and vitamins in it. We have just the plain white salt block for them.

Copper is something to avoid with sheep...have to be careful to read labels to avoid that. Check that old hay out carefully...no musty, dusty or mold in the hay for them.

Do you have now or are you thinking of building them a shelter?

Good luck and hope you love yours as much as we love ours!

 

[BrownSheep]

My sheep actually go cuckoo for leaves, not so much brush, but they love trees.

 

[Briard'nSheep]

Thank you both, I was going to check out the feed store today, but it was closed!

Yes, we are building them a small shelter for now, that we can lock up at night due to predators in the area, aka coyotes, wolves and bears. Once the property is fully fenced (by the end of the month) we will make the shelter bigger and have the south side open.

The hay should be good, it was fed to our friends cattle up until about a month ago. His cows would just prefer the "new" stuff by the time winter comes around again.

Besides pellets and a copper free mineral block, do I need to feed the mom ewe some grain too?

We are located in the northern part of Alberta, Canada

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I wouldn't worry about grain right now, unless they are in rough shape! I only feed grain just before breeding and just before lambing. Sheep are quite easy to get along with, and easy to look after!!! Have fun!! Do you know if the other ewes are bred?

 

[Briard'nSheep]

i don't think they would have been bred, the seller says the 3 ewes lost their lambs which is why he's selling them.