Straw requirements

This week’s sheep feature on page 35 reports from last week’s Teagasc webinar discussing housing management and nutrition. Teagasc sheep specialist Damian Costello underlined the importance of carrying out a straw budget to ensure sufficient straw is available.

He noted that the type of feed offered to sheep can have a big influence on the volume of bedding required. He said that an average sized ewe on a silage diet will require 72kg of straw over a 100 day period, or four standard square bales.

In round bale terms, a ewe will require about half a 4 x 4 round bale weighing 140kg. If feeding hay, this requirement can be reduced to 45kg straw for 100 days.

Looking at it on a weekly basis, lowland ewes on average require 7kg straw bedding each week to absorb all urine and keep bedding relatively clean, while hill ewes require in the region of 4kg to 5kg.

As a rule of thumb, a typical 4x4 round bale of straw weighing 140kg will be sufficient to provide bedding for 18 to 20 lowland ewes per week, or 30 to 35 hill ewes.

Remember to include lambing pens – the volume of straw required to bed individual pens where ewes and their lambs have a turnaround time of 24 to 36 hours is estimated at four to five 4x4 round bales for every 100 ewes lambing, rising by 20% to 30% for high prolificacy flocks.

The standard weight used for 4x4 round bales is typically 140kg to 150kg, but these can weigh as low as 120kg in poorly packed, low moisture bales to 180kg in bales which are well packed/have a high moisture content.

Large 8x4x3 bales weigh roughly 350kg-380kg, while 8x4x4 bales vary more in weight, ranging from just under 500kg to upwards of 600kg. The typical weight is often 520kg to 540kg.

Feeding space

The other point majored on in the webinar is the importance of ensuring sufficient space is available, particularly once meal feeding starts. Large-framed ewes weighing about 90kg require 600mm trough space, medium-sized around 70kg require 500mm and smaller ewes weighing 50kg require around 400mm.

Where sheep are eating concentrates at the feed barrier and a walk through trough, then 600mm will be lost at the corners. Forage feed space is 200mm, 200mm and 175mm, respectively.

Indoor space for housing ewes on organic farms was also highlighted at 1.5m2 for adult ewes and 0.35m2 for lambs, with at least 50% of the area being a solid lieback.

Non-organic straw can be used to bed sheep. The bedded component must be solid flooring – i.e. bedding slats are not sufficient.

ACRES catch crops

There have been some queries on grazing catch crops under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) in recent weeks. Crops must remain in-situ until 1 January 2025.

Remember new grazing rules requiring a ratio of 30% lie-back area to 70% crop must be adhered to. The lieback can consist of stubble ground or grassland.

Grazing animals must have access to the lieback at the prescribed ratio at all times when grazing the crop. Catch crops sown outside of ACRES are permitted to be grazed since 1 December.