|
See
Table:
Daily Nutrient Requirements of Sheep for nutrient requirements of sheep. Using these data and the results of practical experience, suggestions for feeding sheep are outlined below. |
| Sheep make excellent use of high-quality roughage stored either as hay or low-moisture, grass-legume silage or occasionally chopped green feed. Good-quality hay or stored forage is a highly productive feed; poor-quality forage, no matter how much is available, is suitable only for maintenance. Hay quality is determined primarily by the following: 1) its botanic composition, eg, a mixture of palatable grasses and legumes such as brome/alfalfa or bluegrass/clover; 2) the stage of
maturity when cut, eg, the grass before heading and alfalfa before one-tenth bloom; 3) method and speed of harvesting because they affect loss of leaf, bleaching by sun, and leaching by rain; and 4) spoilage and loss during storage and feeding. In general, the same factors influence the quality of silage. Complete analysis of cut-stored forages enhances the utilization of these feedstuffs and allows for the most efficient use of supplemental grains and minerals. |
