Sheep Nutrition

             Feed consumed by sheep is moved by the digestive system, a series of organs used to process food. The food starts in the mouth, where the teeth crush it into smaller pieces. It is swallowed down the esophagus and enters the first two stomachs, the rumen and reticulum. These stomachs partially digest the food, but they also push it back up the esophagus and into the mouth to allow the sheep to chew it again as cud. After it is swallowed again, the third stomach, the omasum, presses liquid out of the food. The last stomach, the abomasum, further digests it with the use of enzymes and acids. The next section of the digestive system is the small intestine, which absorbs nutrients. The large intestine absorbs more water. Lastly, anything that wasn’t absorbed already is emptied through the anus. 

         There are three main types of feedstuffs. Roughage or forage refers to hay, silage, and grass. They are typically low in energy, but high in fiber. Concentrates are high energy grains such as corn, barley, and oats. They typically have large amounts of carbohydrates. Protein supplements are added to ensure sheep get plenty of protein, and often contain soybeans. Other feedstuffs include water and vitamin/mineral supplements. 

          Rations vary between sheep based on their age and purpose. Creep rations are used for young lambs to help their digestive systems improve at a faster rate. The ration needs to be high in protein (18-21%). As they reach closer to 50 pounds, a lower protein is acceptable. When changing the ration, do so over around 4 days to ensure that their digestive system can adapt to it.