siddharthfarms
Member
Dear Members,
We just finished inception of dorper sheep embryos and it went on well.. With the vets happy with the condition of the recipient ewes and the embryos,We Hope to get a good conception rate !
All the ewes were on a semi intensive system where they were grazed for 4 to 5 hours and fed grain,whole corn silage and lurcene hay/horse gram hay.
Intensive rearing of sheep is gaining popularity for the severe scarcity of grazing lands and also for security reasons.Whole corn maize is what is being used by many of us wherein we have maize harvested at half dent stage and ensiled using a bacterial culture.quite a safe and effective method of feed management but could be dangerous if certain aspects are not taken care of...
1.Good Baterial culture (Silage Additives): We have a lot of players in the market,there are some specifically for maize like Biomin Biostabil Mays,They are nothing but a good mix of lactic acid producing bacteria which produces good enough lactic acid to reduce the PH much below 3 for ensilation to take place.Which one produces ideal amounts of lactic acid is what it matters..
2.Compaction: Make sure the chopped green fodder is as tightly filled as possible,you can ask a couple of your helpers to walk on the fodder while in the silo at the time of filling and put good enough weight on the fodder after closing it with tarpaulins(ideally worn out car tyres).
3.Anaerobic Condition (Total absence of Oxygen):Ensilation is acheved only in the total absence of air and all the cultures are designed for the same,if the silage is not tightly compacted and if it is not properly covered,you might end up with mould formation,feeding the same would cause circling disease(neurological disease).if you are using a pit silo,cover the fodder with two layers of plastic sheet,The first one is thin which wraps around the fodder tight and the second one is a thick one to have control on any atmospheric changes.
4.Ensilation time : 3 to 4 weeks is ideal as post ensilation stability is very important,Silage is more stable and doesn't lead to formation of moulds if retained in the silo for a minimum of 3 weeks.
5.Feeding out (How much to draw from the silo): Ideally 6" inches,I always dispose the top 6 inches of the silage when i open up for the first time and start removing 6 inches of silage and more on a daily basis.
Most importantly we should understand that when silage is the main course of diet for the sheep,Whole corn silage is a good carbohydrate diet but quite poor in proteins and also deficient in calcium.We add around 5kgs of urea,5kgs of ground lime stone(calcium carbonate),5kgs of DCP(dicalcium phosphate),2.5kgs of calcium sulphate and 10kgs of common salt for every tonne of green fodder we intend to ensile to make it a complete diet.
Everthing else except Urea is added at the time of ensilation(urea is toxic for lambs below 4 months of age and also when given in very high levels for grown up sheep).the amount of urea can be decided depending on the flock you intend to feed and if you have sheep which were never fed urea,Intoduce it gradually.
Most silage additives (bacterial cultures) comes in packs of 200gms sufficient to ensile 50 tonnes of green fodder,The pack is supposed to be diluted in 50lit of water and sprayed on the fodder,Add 10 to 12 kgs of Jaggery (you don't get molasses easily) in that 50 lts for better bacterial growth and better ensilation.
It is good to feed at least 1/2kg of hay per sheep while feeding silage,A good leguminous hay is ideal
Thanks to many people who advised us on all this quite early and they are being implemented at our farm and any fresh updates are welcome.
Best Regards
Ravi
Siddharthfarms@gmail.com
We just finished inception of dorper sheep embryos and it went on well.. With the vets happy with the condition of the recipient ewes and the embryos,We Hope to get a good conception rate !
All the ewes were on a semi intensive system where they were grazed for 4 to 5 hours and fed grain,whole corn silage and lurcene hay/horse gram hay.
Intensive rearing of sheep is gaining popularity for the severe scarcity of grazing lands and also for security reasons.Whole corn maize is what is being used by many of us wherein we have maize harvested at half dent stage and ensiled using a bacterial culture.quite a safe and effective method of feed management but could be dangerous if certain aspects are not taken care of...
1.Good Baterial culture (Silage Additives): We have a lot of players in the market,there are some specifically for maize like Biomin Biostabil Mays,They are nothing but a good mix of lactic acid producing bacteria which produces good enough lactic acid to reduce the PH much below 3 for ensilation to take place.Which one produces ideal amounts of lactic acid is what it matters..
2.Compaction: Make sure the chopped green fodder is as tightly filled as possible,you can ask a couple of your helpers to walk on the fodder while in the silo at the time of filling and put good enough weight on the fodder after closing it with tarpaulins(ideally worn out car tyres).
3.Anaerobic Condition (Total absence of Oxygen):Ensilation is acheved only in the total absence of air and all the cultures are designed for the same,if the silage is not tightly compacted and if it is not properly covered,you might end up with mould formation,feeding the same would cause circling disease(neurological disease).if you are using a pit silo,cover the fodder with two layers of plastic sheet,The first one is thin which wraps around the fodder tight and the second one is a thick one to have control on any atmospheric changes.
4.Ensilation time : 3 to 4 weeks is ideal as post ensilation stability is very important,Silage is more stable and doesn't lead to formation of moulds if retained in the silo for a minimum of 3 weeks.
5.Feeding out (How much to draw from the silo): Ideally 6" inches,I always dispose the top 6 inches of the silage when i open up for the first time and start removing 6 inches of silage and more on a daily basis.
Most importantly we should understand that when silage is the main course of diet for the sheep,Whole corn silage is a good carbohydrate diet but quite poor in proteins and also deficient in calcium.We add around 5kgs of urea,5kgs of ground lime stone(calcium carbonate),5kgs of DCP(dicalcium phosphate),2.5kgs of calcium sulphate and 10kgs of common salt for every tonne of green fodder we intend to ensile to make it a complete diet.
Everthing else except Urea is added at the time of ensilation(urea is toxic for lambs below 4 months of age and also when given in very high levels for grown up sheep).the amount of urea can be decided depending on the flock you intend to feed and if you have sheep which were never fed urea,Intoduce it gradually.
Most silage additives (bacterial cultures) comes in packs of 200gms sufficient to ensile 50 tonnes of green fodder,The pack is supposed to be diluted in 50lit of water and sprayed on the fodder,Add 10 to 12 kgs of Jaggery (you don't get molasses easily) in that 50 lts for better bacterial growth and better ensilation.
It is good to feed at least 1/2kg of hay per sheep while feeding silage,A good leguminous hay is ideal
Thanks to many people who advised us on all this quite early and they are being implemented at our farm and any fresh updates are welcome.
Best Regards
Ravi
Siddharthfarms@gmail.com
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