Establishing a Permanent Feedlot

By Mary-Anne Young and Brian Ashton, Rural Solutions SA

A feedlot can be useful in any year, not just in times of drought. It can be used to finish stock, to allow feed to get away at the break of the season or to hold sheep at shearing time. It can also be used to feed sheep when the feed has weed seeds that you don't want spread around the farm or to feed bought sheep that may have weed seeds in their gut.

Planning a site for the feedlot should be done in the context of the whole farm layout. As a permanent feature, the plan might require some fencing and access changes - perhaps a race to the site will enable the feedlot to be more easily used.

Factors to be considered:

  • Proximity to existing yards and shearing sheds for stock husbandry and weighing.
  • A clean site - not in sheep yards or old poultry runs.
  • Water supplies of suitable quantity and quality.
  • Proximity to feed storage - closer supplies will save time.
  • Hard ground that will not erode or be too dusty or too boggy (sandy soil can be all right if there is good shelter).
  • Shade and shelter - this might be already available or can be planted.
  • Access to surrounding paddocks.
  • All-weather access for feed vehicles.
  • A location where the manager can easily keep an eye on the stock and watch out for thieves.

Most people tend to make the feedlot too big. Five square metres a sheep is plenty of room. Bigger areas tend to be more dusty as the sheep walk around more.

When designing the feedlot consider size, layout, watering points, feeding method and so forth. As a permanent site, some thought should be given to long- term needs such as increasing the number of stock that may be lot fed in future.

Local councils might have planning regulations and so this should be checked out. Sometimes people are tempted to use scrub blocks as feedlot sites but increasing the number of stock on an area of remnant vegetation requires Native Vegetation Clearance approval. In any case, it is probably impractical as the trees would require protection from ring barking.

People who have already established permanent or temporary feedlots may have useful ideas on what works or what doesn't. They are worth consulting: the 'Feeding sheep' book, available from PIRSA offices, is a good starting point.