The high cost of concentrates should be refocusing sheep farmers’ attention on the things that can be done to try and insulate your system and keep costs somewhat in check.

Building ewe body condition in the final weeks of the grazing season and safeguarding ewe condition during winter are important in giving options to use this resource, preferably in early lactation and also possibly in late pregnancy.

An essential component in achieving this aim is knowing the quality of feed offered to ewes and their feed requirement.

For example, in mid-pregnancy, a 70kg lowland ewe will require 0.8UFL to satisfy maintenance demands. In a normal year, maintenance needs will easily be satisfied by ewes grazing autumn grass and cleaning off paddocks.

However, housing ewes earlier or introducing supplementary feed at an earlier stage is a prospect facing many farmers, due to the knock-on consequences of drought and reduced fertiliser applications on grass supplies.

In these situations, failing to establish the feeding value of forage can make problems progressively worse and lead to an increased exposure to expensive concentrates.

Energy values

Table 1 shows the energy feeding value of silage and hay of varying dry matter digestibility (DMD). Access to moderate- to good-quality silage of 67DMD to 70DMD will be fine for ewes in good body condition during mid-pregnancy.

As long as protein levels are also reasonable (11% to 12%), then no supplementation apart from mineral/vitamins, if required, is necessary.

The same can typically be said of top-quality hay, as ewes have a higher intake capacity due to the higher level of dry matter.

Ewes will need to consume about 1.1kg to 1.2kg silage dry matter, equivalent to 5kg silage freshweight at 20% dry matter or 3.5kg to 4kg freshweight at 25% to 30% dry matter.

Poor-quality low digestibility silage will depress intake in ewes and leave them unable to physically consume enough silage to satisfy nutritional demands.

For example, if silage is below 60DMD, has been ensiled wet and as a result preserved poorly, ewes will, at best, only be capable of consuming 0.6kg to 0.7kg DM.

Combined with the poorer feed value, ewes offered such silage will only be receiving 50% to 60% of their daily nutritional requirements. The long-term consequences of such a scenario are losses of up to 1kg or higher per week.

Therefore, getting silage or hay analysed is a small cost relative to the potential reward and it offers an even greater return this year, given the high cost of concentrates and the importance of keeping ewe condition on target.