Barb Lee
Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:31:57 -0800
Could be I'm just seeing things, but the lambs are cleaning up more hay since I started backing off the grain (which was not a huge quantity in the first place.) But things are beginning to fall into place. Like, for instance, their gains have fallen off from last year's lambs. What's the difference? Mainly, I creep fed these lambs. The creep was ground grain and soybean meal. Prepared creep feeds are about 20% protein, contain a coccidiostat and are expected to be the lamb's only feed. They always contain a warning to vaccinate for overeater's disease... The more I follow prescribed protocols, it seems the worse results I am getting. Could it be corn? Well, there has to be an energy component. But the grazing books say over 0.3% of body weight in corn (starch) actually reduces the animal's capacity for dry matter by shifting the rumen microbes away from cellulose and over to starch. Well naturally, the Corn industry is going to say, well, corn is more concentrated. Feed them more corn, less forage, because they can pack more corn in. Top up the protein with a little soybean meal or broiler litter. Oh, but vaccinate for overeater's disease (enter chemical rescue) and prepare for acidosis (enter chemical rescue) and rectal prolapse. Okay, so feed less corn...get the energy component from a fiber source. The rate of hay consumption goes up...the digestion actually improves instead of declining into acidosis. And in this day of outrageous feed prices, what does that do to the bottom line? Beet pulp and corn are around $.020 per pound. Top notch 3rd cutting, 18% protein, 64% TDN alfalfa is $0.125 per pound. The capacity for forage intake is enhanced. The animals need less concentrate, eat more quality hay. Getting the grain out of the diet altogether and using a small amount of fiber energy feed is making some serious sense. The grain feeding and the creep feeding are beginning to look like a failing proposition for a blackbelly lamb to me. I think creep feeding is still a good idea, but it will probably be an area where the lambs can take in alfalfa leaves and beet pulp shreds without competing with the ewes, plus pasture. The big wild card is what beet pulp does in the finishing lamb though, since lamb is notorious for picking up off flavors, especially as the emphasis shifts away from protein, onto energy. It is taking some effort to get the lambs to accept B.P. Once they're consuming it readily, I'll give it about 30 days, then we have a runt we'll butcher and give it the taste test. Something tells me we're definitely on the fast track to 100% grassfed now. Regards, Barb Lee Blacklocust Farm Registered American Blackbelly Sheep http://www.blacklocustfarm.net _______________________________________________ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info