Before we had 3IN1FEEDERS, consistent ration feeding was very difficult resulting in inconsistent birth weights and milk production from twin and triplet bearing ewes.
We run North Country Mule and Mule x Texel ewes. Mules lamb from the 20th March and Mule x Texels from the 3rd of April. We used the 800 model feeders for groups of 70-80 twin ewes or 40-50 triplet ewes.
This year, the feeders were introduced to 8 weeks before lambing. Initially we trained the ewes with sugar beet nuts fed at full ration for a few days. After about a week the ewes were trained and we rationed the intake of our triplet ewes to 250grams/day and the twin ewes to below 200grams/day. We monitored body condition score and altered the ration accordingly. We gradually mixed in concentrate in 6mm pencils until the triplets reached 1kg/day at the point of lambing. Tailoring the ration enabled us to save on feed costs compared to previous years.
One of the biggest changes we noticed was in the mentality of the ewes, they stopped chasing for feed and fighting at feeding time. Generally they were very content. This made a huge difference when it came to going round the sheep whilst they were lambing as they didn’t abandon their lambs to chase the bike!
All groups with 3IN1FEEDERS lambed much better with far fewer prolapses and no twin lamb disease.
Given that it was a wet winter we saved a huge quantity of feed that would ordinarily be wasted on the floor. The feeders were really easy to move each day so poaching wasn’t a problem.
After lambing, we then used the feeders for creep feeding. To date, we have not had a ewe or a lamb injured in one. Because the ewes were using the feeders at lambing time, the lambs didn’t need any training to start eating from them.
Following our first seasons experience using the feeders we will be using them in future, and we think that this coming season we can use barley to further reduce our feed costs.
3IN1FEEDERS have made managing pregnant and lambing ewes much more manageable. You can’t “set and forget” but we don’t think you could ask for a better tool in our management system.
Visit the 3IN1FEEDERS website for more information on Trevor and Gemma Dobson Hill House Farm, Clitheroe, Lancashire