The Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture and the Association of Hungarian Farmers’ Associations and Farmers’ Cooperatives initiated the announcement of another prolonged water shortage period at the Interior Ministry. Although there is no drought yet, water shortage has been critical in the Alföld region since March.
During recent years record high temperatures, warm winters, warm and drying winds and fluctuating precipitation have provided challenge for all agricultural businesses. While there is an ongoing battle with inland flooding in the Transdanubia region, precipitation has not reached 30% of spring rains in Eastern Hungary, with the Alföld region experiencing an even worse situation: the soil is too dry to prepare it for sowing the seeds, for germination and the renewal of pastures (source: Cseh Tibor András, MAGOSZ,).
Forrás: https://aszalymonitoring.vizugy.hu/
Source: https://aszalymonitoring.vizugy.hu/
This causes concern for sheep farmers, since this sector is based on grazing in Hungary. Mainly natural grasslands are used, and these are cultivated with greatly varying intensity. Although sheep are not sensitive to pasture quality, this statement has to be treated with caution. Although sheep reared in extensive systems are able to survive on very poor quality pastures, sheep in an intensive production system will only achieve good results if their nutritional requirements are fully met, and we know that ewe nutrition and management technology are the fundamentals of lamb rearing. If pasture does not provide the necessary supply, we have to provide supplemental feeding. This is a more expensive option but can be considered in drought periods or if the use of pastures is restricted.
In Hungary sheep can graze on grasslands for about 180–250 days a year, depending on the local characteristics, and this might be extended by letting them graze on sown pastures, crop residues and other grass covered areas.
The more intensive systems require stricter methods of grazing. Good quality grass should be provided by intermittent grazing. Generally 1 hectare should provide for 10-12 ewes. Grazing is fundamental for meat sheep operations, and increasing the grazing period might increase profitability. Several different types of pasture are appropriate for sheep such as crop residues of cereals, maize or peas. Grazing on crop residues of maize may be of special importance as it can provide feed for months, although special attention has to be paid when transferring the animals to avoid rumen problems. Sown pastures of rye, vetch with rye and winter barley are also a good way to extend grazing, it is recommended to provide dry forages for sheep on these pastures.
The nutritional management of ewes focuses on reproduction and lactation because the goal is to produce the highest possible number of lambs with large body weights. Requirements depend greatly on the frequency of lambing. In the normal system of one lambing per year ewes should be provided the nutrient requirements for maintenance for 4-5 months, while in accelerated lambing systems this period is only 2-3 months. The requirements of maintenance can be usually fulfilled by grazing, except for extreme weather events or drought. It is worth making the most of the benefits of body condition changes and use flushing to achieve a more intensive oestrus and better mating results, if the body condition of the ewes is lower than medium and their body weight about 5-10% lower than at normal/medium condition. Overconditioned ewes generally don’t react to flushing, it can even have a negative effect on them.
Underfeeding ewes in early pregnancy carries a high risk for the embryo, so in order to mitigate this risk ewes have to be fed to achieve a positive energy balance, to let them gain some weight, although overfeeding them should be avoided as well. During this period the feeding of too much legumes should be avoided, as they can cause abortion because of their phytoestrogen content. Vitamin E and selenium levels of the dams should be checked as low levels are also major causes of abortions.
During mid-pregnancy the nutrition of ewes can be based on pasture alone, if it has enough yield. This period is between day 40 and day 110-115 of pregnancy. During this period the ewes should be fed close to maintenance, although a slight weight loss of 5-6% will not cause any disadvantage, on the contrary to overfeeding, which might lead to serious consequences.
During late pregnancy a favourable energy and protein supply is needed to provide for body reserves, fetal growth and initiating the production of colostrum and milk. If the ewes were provided adequate nutrition during the first two trimesters by having access to good pastures or good quality forages and hay, they will need to be supplemented with only a limited amount of concentrates. Protein requirements can usually be met by providing forages rich in protein, in this case concentrates should mainly be used to provide energy. The need for concentrate supplementation should be determined based on the body condition of the ewes.
By providing nutrition according to the needs of the animals the lambs will be born with appropriate body weights and thus better liveability, and the dams will produce enough milk to allow for profitable lamb rearing. Both under- and overfeeding are risk factors, with overfeeding increasing the risk of pregnancy toxaemia, especially in overconditioned ewes with twin lambs.
Feed intake will drop significantly during the last few weeks of pregnancy. To avoid a nutritional deficit, concentrated, nutrient dense feed should be fed in this period. The excessive increase of concentrates should also be avoided to prevent acidosis.
At this stage nutritional management should focus on grouping ewes according to their condition and feeding groups based on condition scoring. The fact that a ewe is pregnant with a single lamb or twins may also be taken into account when grouping the animals.
The nutrient supply before lactation directly influences milk production in the dams. The dams will mobilise their body reserves during the first 6–8 weeks of lactation to produce milk, which means that underconditioned dams will produce less milk. In sheep, milk production has a high energy requirement because the milk is high in fat (4-7%) and lactose, while providing enough protein is also of major importance.
In meat lamb operations the main question is if pasture or other forages are capable of meeting the nutritional requirements of the ewes, and if needed, how much concentrate should be supplemented. Reasonably good quality pastures or forages and hay will fulfil the nutrient requirements of moderate milk production.
Environmental and management conditions also play a role when choosing the type of feed, since under favourable management conditions and ad libitum feed intake there is less need for concentrate supplementation. The intensity of the feeding strategy also depends on the level of production, the ratio of twin lambs, the time of weaning, as well as the supplementation given to lambs during lactation to encourage solid feed intake – Lambex starter for early weaning, Lambex single phase grower during the entire lamb rearing period or Lambex fattener feed for achieving high end weights. This means that in every case calculations should be made based on nutritional requirements to find out to what extent do available feeds meet these nutritional needs and to decide how much and what type of supplementation is needed to provide for an adequate supply of the dams.
If pasture is not or not fully available because of droughts or other issues, indoor housing and feeding a total mixed ration may be a good option. Special attention should be paid to supplementing minerals, microelements and vitamins, since while the requirements of the dams are almost fully met by grazing, the lack of grazing will lead to deficiencies. In this case we recommend our product, a mixed feed for dams that provides a comprehensive, concentrated supply during these critical periods. It contains a complete premix specifically designed for dams, along with adequate amounts of salt, macro and micro elements. To achieve a better milk yield, by-pass proteins and fats may also be fed at the beginning of lactation. When using own produced grains, it is highly recommended to use the Conception and lactation premix, a product that mixes easily and provides a targeted solution to supplementing and maintaining mineral and vitamin levels.
The best option is to feed the dams a complete, premixed ration ad libitum, as this is the most important tool for increasing milk production, this will promote optimal function of the forestomaches, feed is continuously available and it prevents digestive problems that are associated with feeding concentrates.
Szilvia Molnár
consultant
Bonafarm-Bábolna Takarmány Ltd.
