Summer brings both opportunities and challenges for sheep nutrition. While grazing is plentiful early on, prolonged dry spells can quickly reduce pasture quality—impacting ewe condition, lamb growth, and ram fertility.

Kathryn Thompson :: Monday 4th August 2025 :: Latest Blog Posts

Optimising Sheep Nutrition: Tips for Summer Grazing

Summer brings both opportunities and challenges for sheep nutrition. While grazing is plentiful early on, prolonged dry spells can quickly reduce pasture quality-impacting ewe condition, lamb growth, and ram fertility. Optimising sheep summer nutrition means more than just relying on grass; it's about understanding when and how to supplement effectively. In this guide, we'll explore practical tips to keep your flock healthy, productive, and well-fed throughout the summer months, ensuring they're fit for the seasons ahead.

Maximise Grazed Grass First

Grazed grass is the most cost-effective feed for sheep during summer-but only if managed well. To get the best from your pasture, aim to rotate grazing to maintain sward height around 4?cm (1,500?kg DM/ha). Letting grass recover between grazings not only improves regrowth but also helps maintain nutritional quality.

Early in the season, grass growth can meet most nutritional needs. But as temperatures rise and rain becomes scarce, grass dry matter (DM) and protein levels can drop quickly. Using tools like plate meters or visual assessments to track sward height can guide grazing decisions and help avoid overgrazing.

Prioritise younger or more productive stock-like lambs and lactating ewes-for the best paddocks. Rest heavily grazed fields to support regrowth and plan ahead for lower grass availability later in the season. A well-managed grazing system is the foundation for strong summer nutrition.

When Grass Isn't Enough

Even with the best grazing management, summer can throw challenges your way-especially during prolonged dry spells. Grass may become stalky, low in energy, and short on protein, which isn't enough to sustain high-performing ewes or fast-growing lambs. Spotting these shortfalls early is key.

Look out for signs such as slowing lamb growth, dropping ewe condition, or restless grazing behaviour-these can all indicate that forage quality is falling short. At this stage, introducing supplementary feed helps maintain performance and prevent long-term issues.

Top up diets with high-energy feeds like a formulated ration or mix in chopped forage such as hay or silage. Quick-growing forage crops like stubble turnips or brassicas can also be a valuable mid-summer boost. The goal is to bridge the gap between what the pasture offers and what your sheep need-keeping weight gain steady and ensuring condition doesn't slip as you head toward autumn.

Tailored Supplementation by Class

Ewes:

Maintaining ewe condition during summer is vital, especially in the lead-up to tupping. If grass is limited, provide 0.25–0.5?kg of concentrate per head per day, increasing closer to flushing. Pre-lambing (last 6 weeks of pregnancy), nutritional demands rise sharply-offer up to 1?kg/day of a high-energy, high-protein ewe ration to support foetal development and colostrum quality. During lactation, continue with 1?kg/day if pasture is poor, ensuring a steady milk supply for lamb growth. Keeping ewes in target condition now pays dividends in lambing ease and fertility.

Lambs:

Young lambs thrive on quality forage, but as grass loses nutritional value, supplementation becomes essential. Start creep feeding from 7 days old, gradually building to around 0.4?kg/day at weaning. Choose a high-protein lamb ration to support rumen development and growth rates. Monitor performance closely-lambs should gain around 250?g/day or more. Providing extra nutrition early helps maintain growth momentum, especially when grass alone won't meet their rising energy needs.

Rams:

Rams often get overlooked in summer, but their condition going into tupping is critical. Aim to keep them fit but not fat. Offer up to 1?kg/day of ration if grazing is poor, focusing on protein and energy to support testicular health and fertility. Good nutrition now helps ensure rams are ready for work, with strong libido and stamina. Supplementation also supports hoof and coat conditions-essential for a productive breeding season.

Deficiencies to Watch For

Even in well-managed systems, sheep can fall short on essential vitamins and minerals during summer. Dry, overgrazed pastures often lack key trace elements like selenium, cobalt, iodine, and zinc-vital for immune function, growth, and fertility. Without supplementation, deficiencies can lead to poor lamb thrive, weak immunity, or breeding issues.

To guard against this, choose a feed ration fortified with a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. Drenches can also provide longer-term support, especially for breeding stock. Keep an eye out for symptoms like sluggish lambs, dull coats, or poor scanning results-they could indicate a hidden shortfall.

Don't forget water-essential in warmer months. Sheep can drink upwards of 7?litres/day in peak heat, so ensure troughs are clean and regularly topped up. Together, mineral supplementation and reliable water access form a vital foundation for healthy summer nutrition.

Practical Supplementation Tips

Introducing supplements in summer isn't just about what you feed-but how you do it. Always make changes gradually, particularly when feeding concentrates, to avoid digestive upsets like acidosis. Start with small amounts and build up over 7–10 days, ensuring sheep have constant access to forage to aid rumen function.

Use troughs or feeders to minimise waste, and spread feed out to reduce competition-especially important for lambs or shy feeders. If you're using bulk feeds like hay or silage, test quality where possible to match your supplementation plan to actual nutritional content.

Hot weather also impacts feed intake, so avoid feeding during the hottest part of the day. Early morning or evening feeding helps maintain appetite. And don't overlook water-clean, plentiful supply is crucial, as even mild dehydration reduces feed efficiency.

By combining smart feeding routines with high-quality supplements, you'll get the best from your flock-even in testing summer conditions.

Monitoring & Adapting

Keeping a close eye on your flock's condition is essential during summer, when grass quality and availability can change rapidly. Regular body condition scoring (BCS) helps ensure ewes don't drop below target levels-around 2.5–3 for most stages-and allows for early dietary adjustments.

Weigh lambs frequently to track growth rates; a steady gain of 250–300?g/day is ideal. Slower gains may signal poor forage quality or a need for additional supplementation. Sward assessments-either visual or with tools like plate meters-also help identify feed gaps before they impact performance.

Be prepared to adjust feed plans based on the weather, grass regrowth, and stock performance. Flexibility is key to maintaining productivity throughout the season.

Need help fine-tuning your summer feed plan?
Get in touch with the BW Feeds team today-we're here to offer expert advice and tailored solutions to keep your flock thriving, whatever the weather brings.