When it comes to sheep, farmers are always looking for the best solutions. What can they do to make their sheeps’ lives easier, how do they ensure the animals stay healthy, and where do they house all the ewes preparing to lamb?

In agriculture, careful consideration must also be given to how farmers can feed sheep while keeping them clean and disease-free. That is why it is vital from the outset to use the best solutions for your livestock.

RSA Grain Storage is one of the companies that knows exactly what solutions farmers need for the well-being of their sheep. Backed by years of experience, this Free State-based company is dedicated to offering the right solutions for you and your sheep, from a lamb’s very first breath until she is ready in the lambing pen to become a mother herself.

With the right feeding systems, a farmer’s sheep can lead a healthy life. This includes daily nutrition, safe shearing facilities and elevated lambing pens that are clean, safe and intentionally designed to make the process as seamless as possible.

From silo to mouth: The best feeding system

Farmers are very aware of all the different ways feed can be supplied to sheep. The more traditional method is simply scattering the feed on the ground and letting the sheep gather round. However, this method has several drawbacks: the sheep do not consume everything, rain makes efficient feeding almost impossible and a significant amount of feed goes to waste.

This is where purpose-built feeding systems come into play. It is not merely a feed trough with a gate that needs to be opened. RSA Grain Storage’s solutions for feeding large flocks form a complete system that precisely measures how much feed flows into each trough.

Precision feeding limits waste caused by birds and other animals, which is why it is important for the feeding process to be automated instead.

Automated feedlots simply require a connection to the feed storage unit. This system measures precisely how much feed is dispensed and protects it from rain, ensuring your sheep always receive the correct amount of feed.

RSA Grain Storage provides access to these feeding systems and can install them into your existing pen, or construct a brand-new, custom-built feedlot for you.

Elevated pens make lambing safer for sheep and are sufficiently equipped to keep them secure throughout the lambing season.

Building new enclosures

The company’s engineers do not focus solely on sheep nutrition and grain storage. With proper planning, your entire farming operation can be enhanced.

Erecting shearing pens is one of the major initial challenges for any sheep farmer. Possessing all the right equipment and accessories requires prior knowledge of what is needed to shear hundreds, or even thousands, of sheep. That is why it is important to collaborate with civil engineers who understand how these facilities should function.

They know what is required to manage the sheep, why modular gates are important and how to keep the animals calm during the shearing season.

Crucially, a shearing pen must be adaptable as seasons change. A building that can only be used for a single purpose is an expensive investment for any farmer.

RSA Grain Storage’s engineers can erect modular shearing sheds that operate efficiently during the shearing season, yet adapt to meet a farmer’s other requirements.

For example, the shearing shed can be converted into a lambing facility where ewes can give birth to the next generation of lambs peacefully and safely. RSA Grain Storage has already built numerous sheds like these and knows how to tailor existing technical designs to your specific needs.

When you use RSA Grain Storage to build your shearing shed, you get more than just a shed that is used once a year. You get a solution that helps keep your sheep safe throughout every season.

RSA Grain Storage also offers a solution that elevates technology and sheep care to the next level.

The elevated pens stand roughly 1 to 1,5 m above farm ground level.

Elevated lambing pens for greater peace of mind

The lambing season is easily one of the most difficult and stressful periods on a farm. Sheep are susceptible to diseases and pests, and excessive pressure makes the season even tougher.

A further challenge lies in supplying a large number of sheep with the correct feed and supplements to keep them healthy.

Solutions to these challenges already exist, and with RSA Grain Storage, they can all be implemented on your farm simultaneously. Elevated lambing pens offer a sustainable solution.

These pens stand roughly 1 to 1,5 m above the farm’s ground level. The floor typically consists of slats or mesh, which promotes ventilation throughout the lambing pens. Beneath the floor lies a collection area where manure and other waste gather, making cleaning far easier.

Finally, the pens are fitted with automated feeding and watering systems. This ensures that every ewe receives the right amount of feed and water. The pens are designed to ease the lambing season for farmers and to keep the ewes calm during this high-stress period.

Lastly, it is important to know how long it will take to erect the elevated lambing pens. Prefabricated modular sheds can be set up within two to six weeks, though these sheds are typically smaller.

Custom-built or large commercial sheds take between two and four months to erect, as foundations and structural supports must be permanently installed.

If you need an elevated shed for the upcoming lambing season, you can contact RSA Grain Storage today. By lambing time next year, your sheep and new lambs could be safer – and you can sleep a little easier.

For efficient solutions regarding sheep feeding and facilities in South Africa and Africa, visit RSA Grain Storage’s website at www.rsagrainstoragesolutions.co.za