![]() A mixture of oat hay and alfalfa at a 1 to 5 ratio is often recommended for sheep and other ruminants. This type of hay is also a rich source of zinc, manganese, and phosphorus. Oat cereal hay contains approximately 9% crude protein. ![]() Oat hay offers a high percentage of carbohydrates, a high fiber content, but is low in protein.īecause sheep will consume the entire leaf and stem of each blade of oat hay, there is nearly nothing wasted from the plant. Sheep and other varieties of livestock tend to love cereal grain hay because it is sweet. It is lower in protein and energy producing nutrients than alfalfa hay, but is higher in fiber content. This type of hay is a lot better for horses than for sheep or for goats. Timothy hay typically is comprised of seven to 11% protein, 32% crude fiber, one and a half percent crude fat, and when harvested properly it, like alfalfa hay, has about a 15% moisture ratio. This type of hay offers a quality balance of both protein and energy producing nutrients. This hay offers a high forage diet, which often includes perennial grass bunches. This is the type of hay that thoroughbred horses are often fed. Timothy is another top quality hay to feed sheep and other livestock. The average nutrient content in alfalfa include a 15% to 21% crude protein, 32% crude fiber, 1 and a half percent percent crude fat, and only roughly 15% of each properly harvested bale of hay is comprised of moisture. Sheep that consume alfalfa typically are garnering 120% more energy from their meal than they would if eating an oat hay variety. The fiber strands in alfalfa are longer than those found in grass hays, as well. Alfalfa contains more calcium and protein that grass hays. ![]() Lucerne, or alfalfa hay, is a legume style high fiber and vitamin A rich hay. Orchard hay typically contains 7% protein, 30% crude fiber, one to one and a half percent crude fat, and a moisture content maximum of roughly 15%, when harvested and baled properly. The flat leaf blades on orchard grass vary in shade from blue-ish to green, depending on the maturity of the hay crop when it is harvested. Orchard Grass is high in fiber, but low in protein when compared to some other top varieties of hay. This type of hay grows really tall during cool weather seasons. Lambs will grow more robustly and remain in better health when offered a quality mature legume hay, and can eat it more easily due to the fine and softer stems the hay produces. Mature sheep can garner most of the nutrients they need to remain healthy when grazing in a field of leafy alfalfa hay or even a grass hay that has not yet matured. Alfalfa tends to be their favorite, in my personal experience. Sheep nearly always prefer to eat only fine hay that is leafy. The type of hay that is planted on your homestead or purchased to feed the herd of sheep matters a great deal due to the massive impact it can have on it. When their ruminen gets out of whack because they have consumed too much of the right thing or even small amounts of the wrong thing too often, they can suffer bloat and other related significant medical issues. Like cattle, goats, elk, and deer, sheep have four stomach chambers. Sheep are a very self-sufficient type of livestock to have on the homestead, and, like goats, they are excellent browsers.Įven though sheep can eat a wide variety of hay, grass, and human food, there are some types of natural and man-made items that consuming can provoke a severe health issue – or worse…
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