FEED REMAINING STOCK AS WELL AS POSSIBLE

Ideally, you've kept a core group of your best stock, typically proven breeding females, and you're going to need to keep them well fed so they stay healthy.

This will mean feeding enough reasonable quality hay that animals finish eating and leave a bit behind. The hay needs to be sweet-smelling, dry but still green, indicating it has good protein levels – protein is crucial for animal health and will be lacking in yellowed pasture or very dry, yellow hay.

This won't be enough for sheep and goats, which will need hay and a grain supplement as they can bulk up on hay but still not receive the nutrients they need to maintain condition, especially if they are pregnant. The safest supplements are, in descending order: • oats • barley • ryecorn • wheat Commercial sheep nuts are another useful source of nutrition. Where grain constitutes a high proportion of the ration, mix 15g sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) per 1kg grain to help offset the effects of grain overload. Bicarb can help to neutralise the acid in the rumen, or you can mix in feed additives (eg, Rumensin) to reduce acidosis problems.