# silage for sheep



## HAYMAN1978 (Apr 1, 2011)

i was wondering if anybody feeds silage to there sheep


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Before you feed silage to sheep you may want to read up on listeriosis. A friend of mine had a wreck a few years ago with feeding silage bales.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Never heard of anyone feeding sheep silage in this area. Not saying it can't be done, but no one I know of does it.

Listeriosis, wonder if that would affect equines as well? One of my previous steady customers thought some of my haylage bales was some of teh best smeeling hay ever and wondered if he could feed it to his hayburners, told em most likely not as I've never heard of it being done.


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## Fowllife (Sep 10, 2010)

Yes it can be done as long as you watch for listeriosis. From what I understand though you need quite a few head to stay ahead of spoilage. That number would vary depending on how you stored you silage, but if I remember right it was somewhere in the 40 head minimum range, more being optimal.


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## HAYMAN1978 (Apr 1, 2011)

THANKS FOR THE REPLYS FILLED A 100FT BAG GOING TO GIVE IT A TRY WE ARE SHORT ON HAY AND THE NEIGHBOR HAD SOME CORN WITH VERY FEW EARS WE GOT FOR A LITTLE BIT OF NOTHING.ALSO WE HAVE AROUND 250 HEAD OF EWES AND LAMBS. WILL KEEP A EYE ON THE LISTERIOSIS .PROBLEMS THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP ON IT.


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## rpierce749 (Aug 14, 2012)

I know this is an old topic but if the silage is well stored, the sheep will be fine. If my family ever runs low or out of hay, we take corn silage from my uncle's 1500 cow dairy.


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

Tried it with our Shetland sheep, The second cut was just too good that year i guess, they didn't want anything to do with it. Then again Shetland's are picky.


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## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

I shear a 300 hd farm in Northcentral OH, they feed silage in the winter and haylage in the summer. Sheep look great, not too fat, with a 2.2 lambing rate.


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## PA Katahdins (Jul 20, 2010)

I put up corn silage every year for my sheep, put up 325 tons in ag bags this year for over winter and into spring, and feed wrapped alfalfa as well and they do great on it.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

PA Katahdins said:


> I put up corn silage every year for my sheep, put up 325 tons in ag bags this year for over winter and into spring, and feed wrapped alfalfa as well and they do great on it.


 How many sheep do you feed?


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## PA Katahdins (Jul 20, 2010)

Currently run about 165 ewes which gives me over 300 lambs a year. Only have enough pasture to graze around 60 head of ewes on.


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