Jodi Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 So, I've taken Bill's advice and bought some loose minerals. I saw in the "salt lick" thread everyone basically free feeds the loose minerals. I have a very small flock (10 sheep) that I don't plan on expanding any time soon. Can someone recommend a feeder that would work well for me? And what can I use temporarily until I pick one up? Thanks. Jodi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Jodi, I'm sure folks will have better answers than I, but you can use any sort of feed pan or trough temporarily. The problem with the loose minerals is keeping them dry. You can find free-standing mineral feeders that turn with the wind so that they protect the mineral inside from bad weather. So far I have not bought one (too cheap) so I just offer loose mineral in the type of trough that hangs on a 2x4 type fence and just make sure that the trough is under cover to protect the minerals from weather (for the sheep that are at my house). For the sheep that are at the nearby farm, I put the mineral in a round feed tub and leave it under the run-in shed. They do go in to get it. I'm sure there's more waste of mineral doing it this way, but so far it's working okay for me. Here are some examples of mineral feeders: http://www.vigortone.com/DuraBull.htm http://townsendequipment.com/catalog/produ...products_id=333 http://www.midstateswoolgrowers.com/acatal..._Feeders_7.html (scroll about halfway down for the mineral feeders) http://www.sheepman.com/ecommerce/ecomm_pr...asp?source=srch http://www.sydell.com/products.asp (type mineral feeder into the search section) http://www.premier1supplies.com/list.php?m...=mineral+feeder Anyway, you can see that prices are kind of high, which is why I do what I do.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Dog Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Jodi, I bought one of the covered free-standing feeders that has a vane on top and is supposed to rotate with wind direction, but it never worked very well. Sheep kept knocking it over, and it didn't rotate properly, so the minerals didn't stay dry. I made a feeder that works really well: Get a 50 gal plastic drum and cut an opening on the side approximately--just guessing here--2' square and 18" from the bottom. Pour a bag of quick setting concrete in the bottom, mix, smooth and let set. Note that the top of the conrete should not reach the bottom of the opening such that there's a lip to hold a feed pan. Position in the pasture with the opening facing away from prevailing winds, fill a feed pan with minerals and put it in the feeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyjabo Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Take the piece of barrel that you cut out to make the hole and bolt it to the top to make a "visor" Or cut a slit just above the opening and insert the cutout piece -put a bolt thru on the inside to keep it from slipping back out(it should angle down). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccnnc Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Jodi, here's something else you might want to try... We use CrystaLyx... it's sheep/goat minerals in a molasses base... it's in a tub, weighs about 60 pounds full... I have a gravel area between the barn and the round pen, put the lick there so the sheep will have some time on the rock -- cuts down on triming... the sheep love it, not unusual to see 4 or 5 at the tub... one tub last a month or more for my two dozen head... rain is no real problem, they just slurp up the water in the tub... here's more info... http://www.crystalyx.com/sheepgoats/index.cfm#sheeplyx if you can't find that, you may want to check out this... http://www.kaydeefeed.com/ they have a similar product... Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Oh, I'm the queen of overkill, since my sheep also have the SheepLyx (what Colin's talking about) in addition to loose mineral. Unlike Colin's sheep, mine don't seem to slurp up the wet stuff, and despite Mike's assurance to the contrary, I do have to keep the dogs out of it, but the sheep at both places use it liberally. The 60-lb. tub I have at home lasted about two months for 8 sheep. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 The issue with molasses-based mineral licks is that they provide additional energy, and sheep can become over-conditioned on them if the salt-limiter isn't figured just right. As part of a complete ration, they are an interesting concept that I have long wanted to try, but we can't seem to get anyone interested in supplying them at anything approaching a reasonable price. As for mineral feeders, I just use any old thing. The that I like are the $5 disposable concrete mixing troughs you can get from lumber yards. Just put out what the sheep ought to be eating in two or three days. On rainy days, don't put any out, or only put out a very small amount. Another key is to have at least one feeder per 100 ewes plus one. In other words, two feeders for 100 ewes, three for 200, etc. I currently have three out for 55 ewes, which is overkill, but I really don't want any competition. If you're rotating the ewes through different pastures, it's a good idea to put at least one of the feeders in the same place where it was the last time the sheep were there. Over time, this will result in a dead spot, so you can move it somewhat, but keep it in the same areas each time. When using multiple feeders, it's also a good idea to make sure that the sheep can see one another from each feeder; that is, don't put one on one side of the hill and one on the other. They should be positioned 30 to 75 feet apart -- close enough to maintain flock contact, but far enough apart that they are clearly distinct feeding points and the presence of a ewe at one feeder won't deter a sheep from approaching the other one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodi Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Thank you for all the information! I'll have to figure out what I'm going to do on a more permanent basis. But for now, Tony, I took your idea and made it much smaller. I took a 5 gallon bucket with the lid, put a big hole in the side of it, left a few inches at the bottom of the hole for a lip, and hung it on the fence with a few inches of mineral in it. No one's fighting over it or anything, so it seems to be working. I don't know how long it will last, though. And I'll need to put a "visor" on it to keep it dry when it rains. Again, thanks for the ideas and information. I'm sure we'll do something better for them as soon as the weather warms up a bit and projects start getting under way... Jodi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Colin/Julie - where do you get the Sheep-Lyx? I'd like to get some for my ewes that are due to lamb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoofly Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Christine - you ought to be able to get it from your feed store, that's where we're all getting it. I use them in the winter to give the sheep a little extra boost since it's a protein/mineral tub. The sheep love it and walk around with brown lips from getting into it so much when i first set it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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