Alternative Feed Opportunities for Sheep

Sheep can utilize various by-products as a feed source. Availability of products can depend on geographical location, availability, and transportation costs which also affects whether it is cost effective to bring the product to your farm. Usage rates for sheep are calculated on the animals’ nutritional requirements based on its age, size, and stage of production. When replacing or adding a specific parameter such as protein or energy, costs can be compared per unit available to the animal. For this reason, it can greatly benefit you to understand analysis reports of your feed even though book values can be used to balance rations. Using the Pearson Square is a simple way to calculate the ingredient amount that should be used to meet a specific parameter requirement, such as crude protein, when blending two ingredients. When obtaining an ingredient that is not common, a fair market value can be calculated using the Petersen equation once the ingredients’ protein and energy contents have been analyzed. Let’s take a look at some of these by-products, and help you identify where they may fit into your ration for your flock.