Help and tips with Spelsau Sheep

[Piletoften]

Hi everyone!

I moved to Denmark with my (danish) wife almost 11 month ago and we bought a 2,5 hectare farm to live a self-sufficient life (at least thats the plan). We just got 5 Spelsau sheep locally very cheap (400 kr danish). They are 3 years old. I have them in our stable until I build an electric fence. They will have just under 1 hectare to forage on. They are without lamb and its too late in the season to mate them so we will wait until next autumn to mate them.

I need some help and hope you fine people can help me out a little

The previous owner fed them with Byg, conventional pellets and halm. I was surprised to hear that she never feed them with hö !!

I decided to buy Spelsau because its a Scandinavian race which doesn't need much feeding. I wonder what did farmers feed their sheep with in the old days when there was no conventional pellets?? I will buy them a mineral salt stone without copper tomorrow. I've heard that sheep should not eat copper minerals.

Thank you

[vallhunden]

It is essential for sheeps stomachs that they have lots of fibre to work with. Hay is the best choice! I don´t know how big your sheep are but a Gotlandssheep eats 1,25kg hay a day, at least, depending om quality... If the hay is deasent, they wont need any pellets this winter since they are not carrying lambs.
Since your sheep has breed before check their udders to se that there are no lumps in the udders. The tissue should feel soft,even and smooth. If there are lumps in the udders you cant breed on them!!
Salt and minerals as much as they want.
Best of luck!!

[Skogsola]

 In the old days sheep breeding was not about maximizing production but just about keeping the sheep alive trough the winter. The hay that was too bad for cows and horses, no seed and defenitly no pellets. Not too late to mate them I suppose. Flush them with pellets and give it a try. Do not worry much about the cupper. Toxic symtoms are very rare except in the Texel breed.

[olivia.k]

Since your sheep has breed before

Hur vet du det? Det står ingenstans. Kanske de aldrig haft lamm och då är 4 år för gammalt för att få sina första lamm.