Our Basic Flush Program

Baby Boom is designed to be used at 0.20 lbs per head per day.  That part is straight forward.  The harder part is how to flush ewes, and how to incorporate Baby Boom into a flush program.  We have been asked how we flush our ewes and so we have decided to share our program.
As an animal nutritionist, in my opinion, the part that creates the most failures in flushing ewes is the following:  When you nutritionally flush sheep (or any ruminant) you need to remember that it’s all relative.  What this means is that, regardless of where your animals are at on their current (before) plain of nutrition, you must increase it.  There is no way around this.  If they are on dry stubble or lush pasture, fat or thin, they need to consume more nutrients, not less…. Period.  Nutritional flushing is a response to energy and nutrients.  With that said, here is my program.
30 day flush

• Days 1-15: 1 lbs dry Corn / Oats / Barley mix with 0.20 lbs per head per day Baby Boom.
• Days 16-30: 1.75 lbs dry Corn / Oats / Barley mix with 0.20 lbs per head per day Baby Boom.
• Days 30-45 (after AI / Breeding) 0.5 lbs lbs dry Corn / Oats / Barley mix with 0.20 lbs per head per day Baby Boom.

During this period of time our ewes / does are on Alfalfa and Almond Hulls (a California By-product).  The last 15 days (Days 30-45) are to wean them off the higher plain of nutrition.  Cold Turkey stopping could create too much of a drop in nutrients and risk the pregnancy therefore we wean them off.
It should be noted that you have lots of options for feeds and there are NO good or bad feeds.  Too much of anything can be a bad thing, and having an un-balanced diet is a bad thing.
-Jed Asmus, M.S. PAS