Brassicas, particularly swedes and turnips, are useful for feeding sheep in areas where cold temperatures limit grass growth in late autumn and winter. Most turnip and swede crops are grown in Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Sheep are normally break-fed on root crops to prevent wastage.
Is turnips good for sheep?
“Turnips offer a great source of nutrition for sheep and lambs can gain 200-250 grams per head per day from a well-managed turnip crop,” said Ms Williams. “There a number of factors to consider when planning to make the most of a turnip crop for sheep next winter.
What is turnip stubble?
Stubble turnips are a fast-growing and high-protein catch crop, popular with livestock farmers. Stubble turnips can be sown after first cut silage for summer grazing or after winter cereals for autumn utilisation. Also useful as a break crop between grass reseeds.
What do sheep eat in the fields?
Basic Sheep Food: Clover, Grass, and Forbs
For the most part sheep eat grass, clover (and other legumes), forbs and other pasture plants native to the area they live in.
Are turnips good cattle feed?
Turnips will range from 70 to 80% TDN and 14 to 22% CP. Thus oats and turnips make a great feed source for growing or lactating cattle such as fall calving cows.
Why are stubble turnips good for sheep?
Stubble turnips are quick to establish with a good level of protein, making them ideal to fatten livestock, especially lambs over the winter.
Can humans eat forage turnips?
Turnip (Brassica rapa L.) is a root Brassica crop and has been used as a vegetable for human consumption in Europe since prehistoric times. Turnip root has been a popular livestock fodder for at least 600 years wherever the crop can be grown. For most of that time turnip roots have been managed as forage.
How much are turnips per acre?
Plant only 2 to 3 pounds of turnip seed per acre. The seed is very small, so barely cover it. Simply broadcasting seed onto tilled soils works well for many growers, especially on rough seedbeds where rainfall or irrigation washes soil onto the seeds for soil coverage.
Can you eat forage turnips?
“A good crop of turnips won’t be quite knee-high, but something over a foot-and-a-half tall. Bulbs can be anywhere from tennis ball to softball size. The top of the bulb is above ground, so they are easy to eat.
What is the best food to feed sheep?
hay
Feeding Farm Sheep
Sheep make excellent use of high-quality roughage stored either as hay or low-moisture, grass-legume silage or occasionally chopped green feed. Good-quality hay or stored forage is a highly productive feed; poor-quality forage, no matter how much is available, is suitable only for maintenance.
What vegetables do sheep eat?
78 Healthy Snacks Sheep Can Eat
| Celery | Pears |
|---|---|
| Honeysuckle Bush | Carrots |
| Rosemary | Watermelon |
| Dandelions | Broadleaf Plantain |
| Dill | Crabapple Tree Leaves |
Why do sheep baa at night?
During the day the ewes can see their lambs but as night falls they can’t see each other so well, and they need to talk with each other by baaing continuously to check that all is well, or to help the lambs locate their mothers.
What animals will eat turnips?
Beginning in the 1600s, turnips were grown extensively in England for winter feeding of sheep and cattle, as a pasture crop for pigs, and winter fodder for sows.
Why do you feed cows turnips?
Turnips are high quality, high yielding, fast growing crops that are particularly suitable for grazing by livestock in the fall. Both tops (stems plus leaves) and roots (tubers) can be grazed and are very nutritious.
Can goats eat turnips?
They should not be used as the sole source of feed because they contain more than 90% water, are very low in fiber content, and contain substances that may become toxic upon prolonged (several weeks) feeding of an all-brassica diet. Flowers of turnips have a high content of mustard oil which can be toxic to animals.
What should you not feed sheep?
What Not to Feed Sheep
- Bread. Many people feed bread to sheep.
- Blue-Green Algae. Of course, you’re probably not feeding blue-green algae to your sheep.
- Alfalfa. Small amounts of alfalfa can be fed to sheep, but sheep should not be grazed on pasture that is predominantly alfalfa.
- Animal Products.
- Certain Plants.
What is poisonous to sheep?
Toxic plants we are generally well aware of include Yew, Rhododendron, Laburnum, Leylandii and the leaves of potato and rhubarb. Perhaps less well known are laurel and the wilted leaves of stoned fruit trees (plum, damson etc.) or Elder.
What do you feed sheep when there is no grass?
Grain is a useful feed, but is essentially just carbohydrate and a small amount of protein. If sheep are getting plenty of fibre such as dried grass, hay or baleage, grain is very useful.
Can humans eat stubble turnip?
A fairly deep rooted plant, stubble turnip is mainly grown as a feed for farm animals though it is also suitable for human consumption, especially if eaten when small[87, K].
Can people eat stubble turnips?
Your stubble turnip crop is an attractive source of very palatable and easily eaten fodder.
Can you feed turnips to pigs?
You can feed your pigs pretty much anything that you grow, and the list of things you can’t feed your pigs is shockingly short. We purposely grow turnips, leafy greens, squash, and corn for our pigs. They also willingly gorge themselves on veggies at the end of the season that we don’t have time to harvest.
Elvira Bowen is a food expert who has dedicated her life to understanding the science of cooking. She has worked in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens, and has published several cookbooks that have become bestsellers. Elvira is known for her creative approach to cuisine, and her passion for teaching others about the culinary arts.