Comparative Nutrition Commons^™

High Pre-Mating Liveweights Improve The Lambing Performance Of Merino Ewes, R J. Suiter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Analysis of lambing trials with Merino ewes has shown a highly significant association between pre-mating liveweight and lambing performance.

With May-June lambing ewes there was a 2.9 per cent, lambing increase for every extra 10 lb. liveweight; for July-August- September lambing ewes there was a 6.9 per cent, increase for every 10 lb. liveweight increase.

With the May-June lambing there was a critical weight below which twinning was negligible.

Rationing Standing Crops To Sheep, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

This experiment was done at Merredin Research Station to develop and test a method of rationing standing crops to sheep, and also to find whether rationing would reduce the sheep's water consumption.

The experiment involved 60 sheep on 12 one-acre plots of drought affected Gamenya wheat.

Carrying Prime Lambs Through Summer, R J. Suiter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The annual lamb glut in September- October has caused many farmers to show interest in feed lotting and other methods of carrying over prime lambs for a higher priced market.

Unfortunately however, little information has been available on the necessary techniques under Western Australian conditions.

This report presents the results of the first year of a trial being conducted at Chapman Research Station to examine some of the problems associated with carrying lambs through the summer for later marketing.

Urea Or Grain Supplements For Stubble?, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Three methods of supplementing sheep grazing stubble were compared at Merredin Research Station in 1970. The stubble used in the experiment was left after harvesting a nine-bushel crop of Gamenya wheat which was a weed-free second crop on new land. The land had never been sown to legumes.

Sheep : Experimental Basis For Urea Feeding Recommendations, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Recent scientific reviews have concluded that in spite of the great number of experimental observations recorded throughout the world there is no evidence yet to prove that urea can be used profitably for sheep on low quality roughages in genuine grazing conditions.

An experiment is in progress at Merredin Research Station this season, especially designed to demonstrate a response to urea by sheep grazing wheat stubbles, if such a response is possible.

Surplus Cereal Crops For Sheep Feed, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SINCE the introduction of wheat quotas many farmers have considered feeding unsaleable grain to sheep.

The three alternative methods of feeding this grain to sheep are

• as standing crops

• as grain supplements, fed in the paddock

• as grain plus hay, in a feedlot.

Crop Rationing : A Useful Drought Feeding Technique, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A TRIAL carried out during the 1969 drought demonstrated that rationing standing crop is a practical method of feeding it to sheep when feed is scarce.

Rationing will be mainly a drought feeding technique for that part of the crop which will definitely be used as sheep feed. Crop that may or may not be needed for sheep would normally be harvested and the grain kept as a contingency allowance.

Urea Block Supplements For Stubble, H E. Fels, R. J. Parkin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE was a great deal of controversy throughout the summer of Western Australia's 1969-70 drought over the feeding of supplements other than grain to grazing sheep.

This report summarises some of the experiments carried out by this Department to investigate various artificial means of supplementing sheep grazing stubbles and dry summer pastures.

Further details of the experiments can be obtained by contacting the authors.

The results failed to demonstrate economic responses to urea supplements for grazing sheep.

Urea Mixture Formulations, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

This experiment was done once the experiment above (Urea or Grain Supplements for Stubble) had shown definite but uneconomic responses to a particular mixture of urea, molasses and minerals. The aim was to find whether the response depended on the content of various portions of the mixture, and whether the response to the "shotgun" lick could be explained by the presence of salt, sulphate or cobalt.

Experiments With Urea On Private Farms, R J. Parkin, G. Palmer, A. Haagensen, L. D. White, R. J. Suiter, H. E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Many District Advisers have carried out trials on private farms to test the response to a variety of types of supplementary feeds. This report gives brief details of five such experiments carried out with urea supplements over the last five years. Table 1 summarises the details and results of these trials.

Look After The Tail Enders, B R. Beetson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN Department of Agriculture drought feeding trials last summer, shy feeders lost weight and died while the bigger sheep grew fat. When drafted off and fed separately the shy feeders ate their share and survived the summer.