Ewe Nutrition

Interested in Dairy Sheep Nutrition? Check our our special section, Focus On Dairy Sheep Nutrition. It included a six part video series as well as links to more articles on the subject. Broken link? Something out of place? Please email hello@dsana.com for assistance!

  • Metabolic & Nutritional Needs of High-Producing Dairy Animals – 2019 – Butch Cargile, DVM, MS.  A presentation highlighting ways to improve profit through feed costs of dairy animals, overviewing common metabolic disorders, and discussing milk components (casein and butterfat), all as related to nutrition.

  • Tools to Monitor Flock Nutritional Status and Udder Health – 2019 – Dr. Fred Muller and Dr. Lynn VanWieringen, Ag Health Laboratories.  A presentation on the services offered by Ag Health for milk analysis, feed analysis, manure analysis, and small ruminant disease testing (CL, Johnes, …).  It gives an overview of how the testing is done and what the results show.  It also goes over some information on preventing and treating different types of mastitis.

  • Forages and Flavor: How diet can influence the sensory qualities of dairy products – 2019 – Thomas G. Pyne, Partner and Farm Manager at Twenty Paces Sheep Dairy & Creamery.  A presentation on how dietary management changes milk characteristics, and how that might affect the flavor profile of dairy products.  It delves particularly into milk fat composition and its relation to this topic.

  • Nutritional Management of Reproduction in Dairy sheep- - 2018 - A small ruminant dairy vet and sheep dairy owner in California lays out how to managing ewe nutrition to maximize reproductive efficiency – improving ovulation rate, conception rate, pregnancy to term, and lambing rate.  The relationship of Body Condition Score with reproduction.  The impact of feed characteristics, feed quality, and feed mineral profile on reproduction.

  • Relating Dairy Sheep nutrition to Dairy Cattle Nutrition - 2018 - Considerations when designing a feed program.

  • Management of AI Reproduction in Dairy Ewes - 2018 - A small ruminant dairy vet and sheep dairy owner in California explains how to improve conception rates for ewes bred via laparoscopic AI.  Specifics on reducing internal and external stressors, from 60d prior to insemination date, to 45d after insemination date.  Handling and management of ewes during LAI process.  Factors that affect semen quality.

  • Feeding Dairy Sheep: Nutritional Challenges & Opportunities - 2016. Antonello Cannas, Michael L Thonney, & Mondina F. Lunesu. The effects and importance of proper nutrition in late gestation and early lactation with a particular focus on the role of fiber intake.

  • Comparative Digestion Strategies and Protein Nutrition of Lactating Dairy Cow, Sheep and Goats - 2015. Michel A. Wattiaux. A look at nutrition in ruminants comparing sheep, goats and cows with the goal of increasing feed efficiency.

  • Adaptations for Feeding Dairy Sheep - 2015. Russell L. Burgett. Guidelines for formulating rations for dairy sheep and ways to feed rations to minimize sorting and increase production.

  • Principles and Rules of Intensive Grazing – 2014 – Woody Lane.  A presentation on measuring available forage and managing pasture rotation to encourage good regrowth of forage.

  • Dairy Ewe Nutrition – 2014 – Michael L. Thonney.  A presentation on feed formulation and the nutritional needs of dairy sheep.

  • Extending the Grazing Season with Irrigation, New Forages, and Renovation – 2014 – Woody Lane.  A presentation on different types of forages that can be planted to extend the amount of time that they are producing forage for the sheep to eat and an example of an irrigation system that can be put in to help forage.

  • Orchid Meadow Farms – 2013 – John Ryrie.  A presentation on Orchid Meadow Farms.  It includes the farm’s history, feed/forage plan, staff, production numbers, and overall management.

  • Ovinshire Farm: Pasture based Feeding for our Flock- 2012 - Scott Burrington, Ovinshire Farm, NY. A look at one farms methods of feeding a flock of 600 sheep on mostly pasture in upstate New York.

  • Dairy Cattle Nutrition - Lessons for Sheep Producers - 2012 - Robert E. James. An overview of what dairy sheep producers can take away from nutrition research in dairy cattle: with a specific look at diet formulation, mixing and delivery of the ration and actual consumption by the animals.

  • Feeding Dairy Ewes Better For Increased Production & Profit - 2012 - Dan Morrical, Iowa State University. This article looks at nutrient requirements affected by age, weight, stage of production & level of production with a focus on late gestation & lactation phases with a focus on controlling feed costs while increasing output is critical for profitable sheep production. Contains helpful graphs and diagrams on feed needs through different stages.

  • Managing Dairy Sheep Nutrition on an Organic Farm - 2012 - Rebecca King, Garden Variety Cheese/Monkeyflower Ranch, CA. A look at nutrition for a flock of 100 ewes on a 40 acre ranch in a mainly pasture environment and with an organic emphasis. Includes information on offering extra hay, feeding brewers grains and types of grasses on the ranch.

  • Fifteen Years of Dairy Sheep Research at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2011, David L. Thomas and Yves M. Berger. A  history of the breeds, breeding program, weaning and milking systems, and lactation performance of grazing ewes and protein supplementation.

  •  DAIRY SHEEP FEEDING 101 - 2010 - Claire Mikolayunas, University of Wisconsin-Madison. An introduction into dairy sheep nutrition and balanced feedstuffs

  • FERMENTABLE FIBER FOR FEEDING DAIRY SHEEP - 2009 - Michael L. Thonney and Douglas E. Hogue. Department of Animal Science, Cornell University. A new feed formulation approach (the"Dugway Nutritional Plan") was developed to provide an effective method of feeding ruminants and to overcome some limitations of traditional systems.

  • PROTEIN UTILIZATION IN LACTATING DAIRY EWES - 2009 - Claire M. Sandrock, David L. Thomas and Yves M. Berger, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Study shows increased milk yield may be realized by supplementing Rumen undegradable protein (RUP)  to grazing dairy ewes and maintaining mixed grass-legume pastures with at least 50% legume.

  • BEHAVIORAL FACTORS INFLUENCING DRY MATTER INTAKE IN PASTURE SYSTEMS - 2009 - Dr. Darrell L. Emmick, NY State Grazing Land Management Specialist. Interesting article on behavior-based grazing management and why animals choose what, why and when to eat.  

  • REAL MILK REAL CHEESE REAL FOOD - 2008 - Nina Planck

  • EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTATION AND STAGE OF LACTATION O PERFORMANCE OF GRAZING DAIRY EWES - 2006 - Claire M. Mikolayunas1,2, David L. Thomas1, Kenneth A. Albrecht2, David K. Combs3, and Yves M. Berger4. Department of Animal Sciences, 2 Department of Agronomy, 3 Department of Dairy Science, 4 Spooner Agricultural Research Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Summarizes trials conducted at UW-Madison connecting pasture intake with stage of lactation and supplementation 

  • How to graze dairy sheep and supplement their diets in order to improve production - 2005 - Pulina. Balancing the diet of grazing sheep has some different challenges than for housed sheep. This article states that high yields are possible from grazing ewes, explains the factors affecting pasture intake and diet selection, shows how to balance diets for grazing lactating ewes, and ends with a summary of grazing  methods.

  • Maximizing production on pasture - 2005 - Major. David Major details his pasture systems for maximizing the health, quality, and production of the farm and its products. He addresses milking ewe management, lamb management, pasture health and production, sheep health and production, and product quality.

  • The effect of feedstuff on milk flavor - 2004 - Kurka. The authors give an insight into milk flavor composition, the compounds that influence flavor, and the effect of feedstuffs on flavor

  • Nutritional strategies to improve lactation persistency in dairy ewes - 2002 - Cannas. Scientists from Sardinia discuss lactation persistency, how it is measured or defined, and the nutritional and non-nutritional factors that affect it via limiting late-lactation milk production.

  • Supplemental feeding of dairy sheep and goats on intensively managed pastures - 2002 - Clement. In this paper, Bruce Clement summarises a three-year study looking at feeding grazing dairy sheep and goats three different levels of a formulated supplement. They compared live weight, milk yield, pasture analyses, and animal health, and perofrmed an economic analysis.

  • Dairy sheep nutrition - 2000 - Cant. The authors briefly discussed the impact of lamb suckling and milking frequency during early lactation on milk production, the importance of nutrition in managing energy balance in early lactation and therefore milk production, the primarily hormonal cause of the mid-late lactation decline in production  (and that nutrition cannot change that but poor nutrition will still limit milk production), daily energy and protein requirements, and how to calculate nutritional intakes from pasture and supplements.

  • Nutrition of the Dairy Ewe - 1996 - Cannas  - Academic study of nutritional needs of lactating ewes as compared to cows, on pasture and in containment systems.  Also discusses how components indicate nutritional levels.

  • Dairy Sheep Basics for Beginners- 1996 - Thomas - Characteristics of dairy sheep, ewe traits, reproduction, lamb growth, lactation traits, sheep housing, feeding, milking facilities & equipment, economics,

  • What is Quality Milk? - 1995 - Mills.   Emphasis on milk quality, focusing on parlour hygiene, animal feeding and breeding.