Nutrition and Management of Breeding Sheep

As the price of lambs rises, more and more people are raising breeding ewes. Farmers are no longer satisfied with ewes that produce only one lamb per pregnancy; breeds capable of producing twins, triplets, or even quadruplets—such as Small-tailed Han sheep and Hu sheep—are gaining popularity among producers. However, many farmers still manage these high-yield ewes using methods designed for single-lamb-producing breeds. This leads to low lambing rates and low birth weights in newborn lambs, issues that are closely linked to improper feeding practices and nutrition.

The traditional method of raising breeding ewes relies heavily on grazing, and many farmers hold significant misconceptions in this regard. A large number of farmers do not provide supplementary feed even during the ewes’ pregnancy. For breeds that produce twins or more, greater nutritional intake is required at all production stages—including the non-pregnant, gestation, and lactation periods—compared to single-lamb-producing ewes. Nutrition obtained solely through grazing is simply insufficient to meet the ewes’ nutritional needs during estrus, pregnancy, lactation, and other production stages. Other farmers only supplement with corn or feed intended for finishing lambs, which results in unreasonable and imbalanced nutrition, ultimately affecting lambing rates.

In some regions, sheep pens are located far from grazing pastures, and the grass there is not lush. Sheep walk long distances but eat little, failing to get full even after three to four hours of grazing. The nutrition they obtain from grazing does not even cover the energy expended traveling to and from the pasture.

For older ewes and high-yielding, prolific breeds, the middle and late stages of pregnancy are critical periods when the fetus grows rapidly and requires large amounts of nutrients. If the ewe’s nutritional reserves are insufficient—especially inadequate intake or poor utilization of vitamin A, D3, E, lysine, choline, and glucose—it will impair the synthesis of numerous enzymes, coenzymes, and hormones in the body. This weakens immune function, hinders the efficient use of protein and energy, and increases the risk of high-prevalence conditions in ewes, including excessive thinness or obesity, pregnancy toxemia, and pre- and post-partum paralysis.

It also leads to a series of pre- and post-partum issues: low birth weights and weak constitution in lambs, insufficient milk production, retained placenta, lochioschesis, delayed uterine involution, and stunted development. Ultimately, this prolongs the breeding cycle, shortens the productive lifespan of the ewes, and negatively impacts the economic efficiency of raising breeding sheep.

Beijing Yahe Nutrition’s specialized premix for breeding ewes contains not only essential minerals and trace elements required by breeding ewes, but also Yahe’s rumen-protected VA, VD3, VE, lysine, choline, and glucose.

While the rumen bypass rate of conventional vitamin A, D3, and E is only about 30%, and that of regular choline, lysine, and glucose is nearly zero, the rumen bypass rate of Yahe’s rumen-protected series products exceeds 92%. This significantly improves the utilization of these nutrients, as well as the utilization of other dietary components such as protein, energy, and fiber. It effectively enhances the overall health of breeding ewes and reduces the incidence of diseases, with particularly notable effects in lowering the rates of pregnancy toxemia and pre/postpartum paralysis.

At the same time, it provides balanced and comprehensive nutrition for fetal development in the ewe, significantly increasing lamb birth weight and survival rate. Ultimately, it improves the production efficiency of ewes and boosts the economic returns for farmers.

Group management of breeding ewes is extremely important. Separating ewes by production stage facilitates management:

For non-pregnant ewes and those in early pregnancy, appropriate grazing can be carried out based on their physical condition, pasture distance, and grass quality. If grazing does not meet their nutritional needs, additional forage and feed should be supplemented.

For ewes in mid-to-late pregnancy and lactation, avoid grazing in open pastures. Instead, feed them in pens, or implement a half-day grazing/half-day pen-feeding system near the farm.

Based on lambing records from previous pregnancies, ewes that have produced twins or more should be managed in separate groups during the middle and late stages of gestation. Adjust the nutritional density and dry matter intake of their diets according to their pregnancy status, body condition score, and health history during previous pregnancies and lambing. This ensures their nutritional requirements are met, particularly the intake of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and amino acids.

This approach prevents two common issues:

Over-nutrition in low-yield ewes, leading to excessive body fat.

Inadequate or imbalanced nutrition in high-yield ewes, which results in low birth weights, weak constitution, and low survival rates in lambs. It also increases the incidence of diseases in ewes and delays estrus and breeding, ultimately reducing the overall economic efficiency of raising breeding sheep.

In summary, the feeding and management of high-yield breeding ewes must be refined. The intake of key nutrients—including dry matter, energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fiber, and water—must meet their nutritional requirements. Only in this way can we maximally ensure the ewes’ health, support their full reproductive performance, extend their productive lifespan, and ultimately improve the overall economic efficiency of sheep farming.