Can sheep safely eat cabbage and lettuce.

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Can sheep safely eat cabbage and lettuce.

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madcat

Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 1265
Location: worcester

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 5:37 pm Post subject: Can sheep safely eat cabbage and lettuce.
They're Hebridean, will raw cabbage and lettuce be bad for them . There's some in the store that we may not get round to eating ourselves. If no go for sheep has anybody got a cabbage soup recipe ? Human Boris likes soup.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46359
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 5:50 pm Post subject:
i have no idea but hebrideans will eat seaweed by grazing the tideline so i guess they are quite robust

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 5:58 pm Post subject:
Ordinary sheep shouldn't eat too much of either and especially not cabbage as it can make therm infertile. Hebridean on the other hand can apparently eat anything. That's a quote from my sheep farmer although I edited out a swear word.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4640
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 6:20 pm Post subject:
My gut (haha) says occasional nibbling of cabbage shouldn't cause harm, but lettuce might give them the runs? Unless that's just rabbits... I'm assuming it's small amounts compared to their normal forage? They're not lambing are they? If so I think I'd err on the side of caution and go for soup and compost

pollyanna

Joined: 03 Nov 2012
Posts: 221

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 6:56 pm Post subject:
Sheep are folded on other members of the cabbage family, so I doubt they will be harmed.

madcat

Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 1265
Location: worcester

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 7:36 pm Post subject:

Lettuce I decided wasn't going to be a good idea , I don't want to risk giving them mucky bums.

They aren't due to lamb this year, I hope.

The cabbage likewise I think will become soup, if my husband gets a mucky bum he might get earache but he won't get fly strike.

I have proper food to give them a small daily amount to keep them in love with the white food bucket.

Thought it was worth an ask though.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 14 11:07 pm Post subject:
Sheep have been folded on brassicas for centuries, so unless yours are a new strain, I wouldn't worry. With the caveat that any abrupt change in diet can cause scouring and poor nutrient uptake (remember sheep are suicide pills covered with wool) so introduce slowly, and not immediately prior to lambing or in the first six weeks of lactation.

madcat

Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 1265
Location: worcester

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 14 9:15 am Post subject:
Thanks, I'm minding these beasties for a week and inclined to worry. I'm sticking to their routine and feeding exactly as instructed. Boris can consume a job lot of cabbage soup.

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