New to sheep farmimg

5 posts
Mon, 02/17/2014 - 14:56 #1

Member for

10 years 2 months
Amican Park
Last seen: 03/24/2014 - 23:12
Joined: 02/17/2014 - 13:06

New to sheep farmimg

Hi all ,

I have moved to a small block  and last year the weeds although we sprayed had gotten away from us , resulting in hand pulling to many to count. I was playing with the idea of getting some sheep to help control the weeds in our paddocks . I came across what looked to be a good deal on a small mob of what was advertised as       "Damara sheep "  I jumped at the chance . On doing some reserch on the breed , what i have in my paddock does not look to be Damaras .They are  a fleece dropping breed . They dont seem to match the dorper So im kinda clueless to what they are .

I have been feeding new season hay (oaten and wheaten ) as stated on the sites that I have seen they  eat shrubs, weeds , bushes, hay and straw  to name a few . These  sheep were in a paddock with no feed on the ground for god knows how long before i brought them . So I thought to start them off on hay but they only seem to eat the grain and not much hay .They have done an awsome job on the weeds  around the place but as they have been running with a ram since day dot , Id like to feed them some thing more , Any sugestions ? 

Do this breed need to be drenched as Damara, Dopers  have  a high tolerance for worms and othe sheep diseases . ( im guessing my sheep are maybe a cross ) if so what is best to drench and vaccinate?

I have a PIC number for my horses , but im totally lost as to what i need to do with the sheep . As to register  a brand or whats needed . These sheep are not marked  or tagged so im guessing they would not have been registered as i did not get any paper work with them .The more i look at NLIS  and related sites the more confussed it get .  ( i ride on lawn mower would have been alot easyer !!!!).

Id really like top register or  what ever it is they need done and see the sheep to a happier healther  future .

 

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Tue, 02/18/2014 - 10:50 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hello,

I am a goat and cattle person, but will try and answer some of your questions in order. As you haven't included a photo of the sheep it is hard to know what they are without at least seeing them. Did you get a Way Bill/ Vendor declaration with them when you bought them? By Law, you should have been given one and the animals are also required to have NLIS tags in their ears so their origin can be traced. You will need to contact the MLA "mla.com.au "  where you will find their phone number so you can arrange to register and transfer your stock.

Regarding eating hay, if you were a little kid who was offered an ice cream sundae would you want to eat your vegetables? What I mean is, of course they will eat only the grain if it's offered, so to get them to eat the hay, don;t give them any grain in the morning. Offer them only the hay during the day and then give the grain supplement late in the day. Probably, if they have free access to hay, 200gr each of grain should be sufficient as a supplementary feed. Withold the grain until they are eating the hay and don't soften up as they may refuse to eat the hay for a few days, but in the end hunger will win. What sort of hay are you giving them? It is not advisable to give pure lucerne hay  to rams as the ratio of phosphorus to calcium is wrong. If rams are given only lucerne hay they are prone to kidney stones, which will either kill them or could render them sterile. It is advisable to give them grassy lucerne hay or grass based hay to avoid this. You could give them a lick block also as a supplement- however, make sure that it is one suitable for sheep, or goats and horses as cattle lick blocks have way too much urea in them which, if eaten in any quantity, will kill the sheep.

Your PIC -Property Identification Code, will be the same for any of your livestock. When you resell the sheep you have bought (if you should decide to do so) they will need a new nils tag specific to your property, in their ears. Info on this is also on the MLA website. All offspring of the sheep that you bought will need a NLIS tag belonging to your property PIC when you sell them. You will need to order your NLIS tags well in advance of the date you intend to sell the animals as it can take up to three weeks for them to arrive. Most rural suppliers are agents for them, so you can order them through them, but first you have register with the MLA who will tell you how to get your National vendor Declaration and Way Bill book.

I hope all of the above has been of some help to you.

cheers,

Barb  

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Wed, 02/19/2014 - 13:11 #3
rmcpb
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 10/22/2012 - 11:13

As usual Barb's answers are spot on.

I would only add my standard comment to divide your farm up into smaller areas that you can move the sheep through so the pasture gets time to recover and you get a break in the worm cycle. Look up cell grazing on Google for more info. It really increases the carrying capacity and quality of your pasture.

Cheers
Rob.

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Wed, 02/26/2014 - 18:15 #4
Amican Park
Last seen: 03/24/2014 - 23:12
Joined: 02/17/2014 - 13:06

Thank you Barb ,

I have now got a NLIS account  .

The sheep i purchased had not NLIS tags and no paper work . I have now made an account with MLA .

I will get in contact with them  tomorrow and see what they  say. I tried to do a mob movement but cant as I have no pic /waybill info to go on. I was also supposed to get a heap of paper work sent out but they only delivered a few leaflets and a National Sheep Health statement book. Great help that is with out any info on the sheep them selves lol .

Do they make all these new rules to send us insane ???? lol

Thanks again for you input.

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Fri, 02/28/2014 - 00:47 #5
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Amican park,

glad that we could help. Here are the contact details of the MLA:

General enquiries
 Phone: 02 9463 9333
Fax: 02 9463 9393
Free call: 1800 023 100 (Australia only)
Email: info@mla.com.au

Cheers,

Barb

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