The basics of animal care

General daily feed requirements

Older livestock need to eat 2% of their body weight each day in pasture, lucerne, or other dry matter (DM) just to maintain their current weight.

Younger cattle and sheep need to eat 3% of their body weight for weight gain.

One kilo of dry matter is one big black plastic rubbish bag stuffed full of fresh grass.

• A 50kg sheep (not feeding lambs, in good condition) needs 1kg of dry matter daily to maintain its weight.

• A 200kg steer in good condition needs 4kg.

The feed requirements for pregnant and lactating livestock are even higher, double or more. The more babies they're feeding, the greater their need.

RESOURCES

There are free tools available to help you calculate feed demand for sheep and cattle.

FeedSmart

Beef and Lamb NZ has developed a planning app: www.feedsmart.co.nz

– for guidance on how to use its more advanced features, search for the ‘FeedSmart User Guide' on beeflambnz.com

Feed Planning Service

This is a free service available to all livestock owners nationwide, including those on lifestyle blocks.

Call 0800 FARMING or 0800 327 646 and follow the voice prompts.

Extra feed for pregnant animals

Pregnant stock require extra feed to ensure they're in good condition when they give birth.

Beef & Lamb NZ research shows the body condition of ewes at lambing has a big impact on lamb weaning weights. Ewes with a higher Body Condition Score (BCS) give birth to heavier lambs, produce more milk, and wean heavier lambs with higher survival rates.

RESOURCES

Search beeflambnz.com for free guides:

• A Guide to Feed Planning for Sheep Farmers

• A Guide to New Zealand Cattle Farming