Drought feeding

Press, 27 February 1981, Page 16

Drought feeding

Under the present dry conditions many dryland farmers are having problems keeping their ewes adequately fed. Here are some items of information which could help. GRAZING SYSTEMS: Set stocking can use up to three times as much grass as arationed grazing system. Opening the gates is’not a good idea. You will make better use of the available feed by moving largish mobs from paddock to paddock every few days. A sacrifice paddock may’ be needed if conditions remain dry. GRAIN FEEDING: Trickle grain out as low to the ground as possible through a hole about 5 cm in diameter. Drive at a speed which leaves a line 15 to 25 cm wide. Make a line long enough so that the ewes pack in on each side, shoulder to shoulder. Each ewe can then eat what is in front of itwithout over-eating or tramping on the grain. Start off with about half the quantities and build up over about 10 days. Watch for shy feeders as they may need special treatment. STRAW AND’HAY: Evies . cannot live on straws alone. J. A 50 kg ewe will eat a maximum of 1.2 kg of dry matter a day. Table I shows the daily ration needed to maintain body weight and it is clear that you will have to feed a supplement w’ith the straws. This table is for complete maintenance, i.e., no grass pickings. Thus, to give a ewe a complete ration of straw

The contributor of the accompanying item on drought feeding is H. R. Evans, farm advisory officer (economics) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries at Ashburton.

■ plus oats, you would need to feed a maximum of 900 grams of straw plus 300 grams of oats, or 270 grams of barley or peas. If you have some ryegrass straw, you can feed 1 kg of straw plus 200 grams of oats or 180 grams of barley or peas. If you are working to this sort of tolerance, you will need to keep a very close eye on your sheep, and preferably weigh some at regular intervals. The light ewes will have to be drafted off about once a fortnight. If you feed enough straw so that they leave a bit and add 200. grams of grain per ewe, you , will not be too far out. TABLE I Daily ration per week per ewe to maintain body weight:— Straws — barley. oats, perennial - ryegrass 1.7 kg Short rotation ryegrass straw. 1.4 kg Average pasture hay. . . .’. . . . 1.3 kg Average lucerne hay........ 1.2 kg Grains — oats . . 700 gms Grains — barley, peas 600 gms Grains — wheat. 540 gms Sheepnuts 700 gms Molasses 750 gms

FEEDING FOR PRODUCTION: If you try to feed • ewes well enough to increase ewe weight and lambing percentage, you will need one tonne of barley per extra four lambs. It is unlikely that the schedule will make that profitable. Lambing percentage is increased by increasing twinning. Barrenness will, however, rise by 4 per cent for every 1 kg your ewes are • under 40 kg. It would cost about 90 cents a week to maintain a ewe’s weight at above 40 kg, so this would be good business. Feed for weight maintenance, not for , - weight gain. f RELATIVE PRICES: In table II are some equivalent prices. These are equal in terms of feed value and assume that the ewe is being fed a maintenance ration: Thus, if you can buy barley for 5150 per tonne and you can buy lucerne hay for less than $2.20 a bale, or grazing (including cartage), for less than 60 cents per week, the hay or grazing would be better value than the barlev.

Grain: price TABLE II per tonne Average q 1 ualitv hav Barlej' Oats Meadow 22 kg bale Lucerne 22 kg bale Grazing per week $130 $114 $1.60 $1.85. 52c $140 $123 $1.75 $2.00 56c $150 $132’ $1.90 $2.20 ’ 60c $160 $140 $2.00 $2.30 64c $170 $149 $2.12 $2.45 63c $180 1158 ’ J2J5 $2.60 72c '*-'7