Sheep Feed Requirements:

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sheep will not eat as wide a variety of roughage or as poor a quality of roughage as well as cattle.On pasture sheep will eat different feeds readily and if hungry may eat poisonous weeds as well.An ewe needs at least 1 pound of roughage a day to keep her digestive system functioning normally,increase to 1 1/2 pounds during early pregnancy and 2 1/2 pounds during late pregnancy.Conception rates are better and ewes have more lambs if they are gaining weight during the breeding season.For flushing on low roughage give each ewe 1 pound of good quality grain daily.Ewes need adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals and good clean water.Breeding ewes may need 10,000 iu of vitamin A and 1000 iu of vitamin D per head per day.Pregnant ewes need about 5000 iu of vitamin A and 500 iu of vitamin D each daily,allow 5 iu of vitamin E for each pound of feed for sheep.The mineral mixture for sheep,one should supply salt,calicum,phosphorus,iodine and colbalt.Sheep are sensitive to excess copper.Make sure sheep have enough water,when they do not have water,they cut down on how much they eat.