Grazing unharvested crops and stubbles

Your ewes will be enjoying the fresh stubbles and small amount of green pick brought up by the odd shower coming though. Some already have or plan to graze unharvested areas of crop where moisture stress and frosts limited straw and then grain production. Out of interest, we took samples from crops around two trial areas to assess their nutritional value.

Table 1. Local feedtests of crops.

The scope wheat could benefit from an additional source of energy for light and faster growing lambs when the test is compared to the recommended levels in the table above. The Hindmarsh barley has adequate energy for all classes.

Protein is particularly important for growing lambs, and is on the low side for both crops when feeding to lighter lambs and lambs with higher growth rates, so an additional source of protein would also be beneficial if these paddocks were grazed.

Table 2. Recommended ME and crude protein requirements for lambs at 4 months old

Adapted from NRC 2007, courtesy of Productive Nutrition. Available in the ‘early finishing of lambs 2015 calendar.

In reality the sheep would initially scout around and nip all the heads and leaves off and eat the nutrients needed. But as those heads and fallen grain disappear, then the paddock is left with straw and the nutritional value falls dramatically. 

To realise the full genetic growth rate potential of your lambs, which you paid for when you bid for your rams, you need to know what they are eating. Use a feedtest and count grains on the ground to estimate what extra feed is needed, and crunch the sums to make sure it is economic to supplement. Talk is promising for future lamb prices.