Dairy Sheep Feed: What It Contains and How to Choose the Right Diet

By Dr Duncan Houston

Good dairy sheep feeding supports three things together: useful milk production, healthy ewes and healthy lambs. The right diet changes as ewes move through pregnancy, early lactation and the later stages of milking.

Sheep milk is rich in fat and protein, which makes it valuable for cheese production. That means assessing performance involves more than counting litres in the tank. Milk composition matters too.

Whether you milk a handful of ewes or run a commercial flock, start with the forage available, identify the nutritional gaps and choose supplements that fill them.

Quick Answer

Dairy sheep need good-quality forage, clean water and a balanced supply of energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. Concentrates can help meet the extra demands of milk production when forage alone is insufficient. Choose the ration around ewe size, body condition, pregnancy status and milk output, and use feeds and mineral supplements suitable for sheep.

What is standard dairy sheep feed?

There is no universal dairy sheep feed recipe.

Most feeding programmes combine pasture or conserved forage with supplementary feed where needed. Purchased concentrates may be pellets or grain mixes, while some farms use a professionally formulated mixed ration.

Check the product’s intended use. A lactation supplement designed to accompany forage is different from a complete feed or a mineral supplement. A bag labelled “sheep feed” does not necessarily meet the needs of a heavily milking ewe at the amount you intend to feed.

Common ingredients include:

Feed component	Typical ingredients	Main purpose
Forage	Grass and clover pasture, grass hay, lucerne hay and suitable silage	Supplies fibre and contributes energy, protein and minerals
Cereal grains	Barley, oats, maize and wheat	Provide concentrated energy
Protein supplements	Soybean meal, lupins and other suitable grain legumes	Fill protein gaps in the forage
Mineral and vitamin ingredients	Sheep-appropriate sources of calcium, phosphorus, salt, trace minerals and vitamins	Balance the complete ration

Ingredient quality and proportions matter more than whether the feed arrives in a pellet or a bag of mixed grain. These ingredients are components of a ration, not instructions to mix equal amounts together.

Copper deserves special attention in sheep

Do not assume cattle or goat feed is suitable for dairy sheep.

Sheep are particularly susceptible to copper poisoning. Excess copper can accumulate in the liver over time before causing a sudden, potentially fatal illness.

Use feeds and mineral products formulated for sheep, and have the total copper supply checked when combining products. Include supplements, forage and other relevant sources in that assessment. Feeding a product safely to goats does not establish its safety for sheep.

Sheep still need copper, and deficiency does occur. The answer is an appropriately balanced diet, with veterinary investigation before adding copper specifically to correct a suspected deficiency.

Start with the forage your ewes actually eat

Dairy ewes can obtain substantial nutrition from well-managed pasture, but a paddock’s green appearance does not establish whether their needs are being met.

Forage digestibility, quantity and intake capacity matter. Highly productive ewes may struggle to eat enough of a bulky, fibrous diet.

Assess pasture supply through the season, identify likely shortages early and balance supplements against the existing forage.

How to choose the right dairy sheep feed

1. Identify each group’s requirements

Separate dry, late-pregnant and milking ewes according to their needs. Consider body condition, size and production, including growth requirements in young ewes.

Pregnancy scanning helps identify ewes carrying multiples, which need particular attention before lambing. Where practical, manage thin ewes and animals with greater requirements separately so supplementary feed reaches those that need it.

2. Test the forage

Ask for a recent feed analysis when buying hay or silage, or arrange representative sampling.

Useful results include:

• Dry matter: how much feed remains after water is removed.

• Metabolisable energy: the energy available for the animal to use.

• Crude protein: an estimate of protein supply.

• Fibre measurements: including neutral detergent fibre, which helps assess bulk and likely intake.

Compare feeds on their nutritional value and dry matter content. A cheap tonne of wet or poorly digestible feed may be expensive once you calculate what it actually supplies.

3. Balance energy and protein together

Buying the highest-protein pellet is not a reliable way to improve milk production.

The useful question is whether the complete diet supplies enough protein and energy at the amount the ewe can eat. A protein-rich pasture may need a different supplement from mature grass hay.

The protein percentage on a concentrate label also describes that product, not the entire ration. Have a livestock nutritionist assess the forage and concentrate together, using realistic intake and production figures.

4. Review the whole mineral programme

Account for minerals already included in the concentrate before adding loose minerals, blocks or other supplements. Calcium and phosphorus need particular consideration when substantial cereal grain is fed.

Low blood calcium can affect sheep in late pregnancy and during lactation. Prevention needs to suit the ewe and the complete ration; copying a dairy cow mineral programme without checking it is inappropriate.

5. Introduce changes progressively

Ewes need time to adapt to grain and pellets. Introducing a substantial grain ration to previously unaccustomed sheep can take several weeks. Follow a transition plan appropriate to the feed and the flock.

Maintain adequate roughage, monitor appetite and droppings, and prevent dominant animals from taking a disproportionate share. Shy feeders may need separate management.

Daily feeding and a consistent routine are especially important for productive lactating ewes. Avoid delivering an excessive concentrate allowance in one large meal.

Adjust the diet through pregnancy and lactation

Stage	Feeding priority
Dry period and early pregnancy	Maintain appropriate condition and prepare for later demands
Late pregnancy	Support developing lambs and colostrum production, especially in multiple-bearing ewes
Early lactation	Meet high milk-production demands while limiting excessive loss of body reserves
Mid lactation	Match feed to continuing production and assess condition trends
Late lactation	Adjust supplementation as yield changes and rebuild condition where needed

Good nutrition before lambing supports both colostrum production and the start of lactation. The preparation begins before the ewe enters the milking parlour.

Some highly productive ewes cannot immediately consume enough energy to match milk output and draw on body reserves. Persistent condition loss is a reason to review intake, ration quality and health.

Protect lamb nutrition in mixed milking systems

Where lambs suckle their mothers, milk collected at milking represents only part of production. Account for this when assessing output or changing separation and weaning routines.

Every lamb needs adequate colostrum and an appropriate milk-feeding plan. Monitor growth and include milk replacer and rearing costs when comparing systems.

Water, shelter and feeding access matter

Provide unrestricted access to clean drinking water and check the supply daily. A trough that refills too slowly can become a bottleneck when the flock returns from milking.

Provide suitable shelter, ventilation and resting areas, and protect animals from weather extremes. Feed requirements rise during cold conditions, particularly after shearing. Allow for those demands when planning the ration.

Track body condition as well as milk

A fleece is excellent insulation and a rather effective disguise for weight loss.

Assess body condition by feeling the fat and muscle coverage over the loin and short ribs. Looking across the paddock is not enough.

Record scores consistently and compare changes over time. Checking condition about twice monthly can help identify trends, with closer monitoring when animals are at greater risk. Use the findings to adjust feeding before excessive losses develop.

Alongside condition, record milk yield, milk composition where tested, feed amounts, ration changes and health events. Compare ewes at similar stages of lactation and under similar suckling arrangements.

What if milk production drops?

Check whether the change affects one ewe or most of the flock.

For a flock-wide decline, review water supply, pasture availability, a new feed batch, weather and the milking routine. For an individual ewe, check appetite, udder condition, mobility and access to feed.

Lameness can reduce grazing, while dental problems and other illnesses may limit intake. Adding concentrate will not resolve the underlying reason an ewe cannot eat properly.

Internal parasites also warrant consideration. Use faecal egg counts and a parasite-control programme appropriate to your region and flock, rather than treating every production dip with another drench.

Protect udder health and milk quality

Mastitis can reduce production, impair lamb growth and, in severe cases, threaten the ewe’s life. Some infections are less obvious than a hot, swollen udder.

Investigate abnormal milk, painful udders, persistent asymmetry or an unexplained fall in yield. Your veterinarian may recommend examination and milk testing to identify infection and guide treatment.

Maintain a consistent milking routine, clean equipment and hygienic housing. Keep milk-quality records and investigate deteriorating results rather than assuming a feed additive will correct them.

Before using medicines or medicated feeds, check their suitability for sheep producing milk for human consumption. Follow the applicable milk withholding instructions and veterinary directions. Meat withholding periods do not determine milk withholding periods.

When does a feeding concern need urgent veterinary attention?

What you notice	Possible concern	Action
Reduced appetite and dullness in late pregnancy	Pregnancy toxaemia, low calcium or another illness	Contact your veterinarian promptly that day
Staggering, collapse or inability to stand	Serious metabolic disease or another emergency	Seek immediate veterinary help
Painful udder, abnormal milk and an unwell ewe	Clinical mastitis	Arrange urgent veterinary assessment and exclude affected milk from the supply
Diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort or weakness after grain access	Grain overload or acidosis	Prevent further concentrate access and obtain urgent veterinary advice
Yellow gums or eyes, dark red-brown urine and weakness	Copper poisoning or another cause of red blood cell destruction	Seek emergency veterinary care immediately

Pregnancy toxaemia is particularly associated with late pregnancy and multiple fetuses, but both thin and overconditioned ewes can be affected. Waiting for a ewe to go down makes successful treatment much harder.

Will extra feed deliver a worthwhile return?

Calculate the value of additional saleable milk against the additional feed cost.

For illustration only:

Change per ewe per day	Hypothetical amount
Additional saleable milk	0.25 litres
Assumed milk payment	$2.00 per litre
Additional milk income	$0.50
Additional feed cost	$0.35
Remaining amount before other added costs	$0.15

These are example figures, not a feeding recommendation or current market prices.

Use your actual payment formula, including fat and protein payments where relevant. For cheese production, assess the value of milk available for processing and the resulting product yield.

Include wastage, labour, milk withheld after treatment and lamb-rearing costs where they change. Consider improvements in ewe condition or health separately from the immediate milk response.

Common feeding mistakes

• Using cattle or goat concentrates without checking sheep suitability.

• Choosing feed solely by protein percentage or price per bag.

• Increasing grain abruptly when milk production falls.

• Assuming a full fleece means adequate body condition.

• Overlooking lamb consumption when measuring milk output.

• Adding supplements without counting what the ration already supplies.

Frequently asked questions

Can dairy sheep produce milk on pasture alone?

Some can, when pasture quantity and quality meet their requirements. Higher-producing ewes may need supplementation. Use production and condition records to check whether the system is meeting their needs.

How much grain should I feed a milking ewe?

There is no single allowance that suits every ewe. Base it on forage analysis, expected intake, body size, condition and milk production. Have the whole ration formulated before applying a fixed grain-per-litre rule.

Can dairy sheep eat the same feed as dairy goats?

Do not assume so. Copper supply is a major concern, and the ration may differ in other nutrients too. Use sheep-appropriate products or obtain professional confirmation that the complete feeding programme is suitable.

Will more protein always increase sheep milk production?

No. Extra protein helps when protein supply is limiting. If the problem is inadequate energy intake, poor feeding access or disease, increasing protein alone will not address it.

At ASK A VET™, we encourage feeding decisions based on the whole flock and the individual ewe. Quality forage, carefully chosen supplements and regular checks of milk output, udder health and body condition provide a practical foundation for sustainable sheep milk production.