Sheep can eat Hemp, not only is it so but studies have also shown that feeding hemp to them has quite a few benefits which are highlighted below. Hemp seeds are very nutritious containing high levels of protein, fibre and fat. It is so to the point that they are called super foods.
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What Is Hemp
It is a botanical annual plant which is rather fragrant with similarities to marijuana. Hemp is a class of Cannabis sativa. It is gown for various purposes including industrial and medical purposes. Hemp seeds are considered a super food for having 9.47g of protein per 30g.It also has considerable fat and fibre. Hemp seeds can be processed into a wide range of products such as hemp oil, hemp seed cake, hemp flour, etc. These can be further processed or used to supplement other foods. It is usually confused with marijuana however hemp and marijuana are different plants. They are in the same family of Cannabis but hemp lacks the main acting compound in marijuana which is THC. Marijuana and cannabis may show similar effects of relaxation however in marijuana it is caused by the psycho active Tetrahydrocannabinol and in hemp it is caused by cannabinol. The latter is not psychoactive, addictive and does not show any other undesirable effects.
Is Hemp Healthy for Sheep
In the Kansas state university, Michael Kleinhenz noted that ruminants (sheep and cows) can easily digest high cellulose plant material such that in hemp into different nutrients. Feeding hemp to sheep is therefore healthy and quite beneficial to the animal. Hemp has many benefits to sheep such as increased milk yield, milk quality and wool production. It also has fibre that helps in digestion. It has been proven to help animals relax, reducing stress and anxiety levels in the sheep. It is important to note that hemp does not contain THC(Tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the acting compound in marijuana. Its relaxing effects instead come from cannabidiol which is non psychoactive and therefore non addictive.
How To Feed Hemp to Sheep
To feed sheep it is best to provide it to them as seedcake as it is more economic. Another alternative would be to feed the sheep hemp seeds, although it may be a bit more costly than the first, it does however allow for better accuracy regarding how much nutrients were fed. It is also possible to use hemp oil by adding it to other foods such as hay, legume silage or chopped green feed as it can act as protein, fat and a fibre supplement. Sheep require a minimum of 10% protein in their diet of about 500g per day which hemp reaches quite easily.
How Is Hemp Grown
Some may find it beneficial to grow hemp in their farms as both feed for sheep and also another source of income. Hemp is grown mainly for fibre, which is used in the industry and seed which are edible and used to make hemp seed oil and seed-cake. Hemp is grown favourably in a temperate environment. It is grown as an annual crop from its seeds. It grows best in sandy loam soil; these soils usually have good drainage which is favoured by the crop. It reaches maturity at a height of 16 feet or 5 meters. It requires rainfall of about 65mm or 2.5 inches per month throughout its growing period. Hemp matures at 2 months for fibre and at 3 for grain production. Hemp yields up to one and a half tons per hectare in seeds but the average is between eight hundred and fifty thousand kilograms. The potential gains for fibre are nearly two thousand dollars per hectare.
Benefits Of Feeding Hemp to Sheep
The benefits from hemp are mainly based on its high nutritional value These include: –
Due to the high protein and fats in hemp it increases milk yield and quality. The milk yield has potential to be boosted by up to 6.5% and quality by 5.8%. Milk quality is the quantification of certain qualities or characteristics of milk such as its organoleptic (colour, aroma, texture and taste) and physiochemical properties.
Feeding hemp to sheep helps as it has a combination of soluble and insoluble fibre improving the performance of the digestive system. It also prevents some common digestive problems such as ulcers, constipation and haemorrhoids. Studies have also proven that it also helps improve the absorption of nutrients.
Feeding a sheep hemp provides the sheep with all amino acids the sheep will need. Hemp has a balanced protein profile containing all nine essential amino acids that cannot be produced by the sheep’s body. It has small amounts of lysine which is its limiting amino acid. Sheep with hemp in their diet therefore grow a bit faster and are generally healthier due to the balanced amino intake.
Hemp contains cannabidiol which is the compound that is responsible for reducing stress and anxiety levels in animals making them relax. High levels of stress increase blood pressure, body heat and contribute to heart conditions. Reducing stress levels of animals is therefore in a sense saving and it also boosts productivity. Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive compound thus it is not addictive and only shows positive effects It is therefore safe to be fed to sheep and other types of livestock.
Nutritional Value of Hemp
Feeding hemp to sheep is recommended as it is considered a super-food with sky high nutritional value. it has a very high protein concentration of 9.47g, a fat concentration of 14.6g, a carbohydrate concentration of 2.6g, with fibres constituting 1.2g and finally sugars with 0.45g per 30g.These high nutritional values coupled with it being one of the fastest growing plants, along with bamboo makes it an excellent crop for livestock feed. As it is very nutritional and grows exceptionally fast.
Conclusion
It has been proven that feeding hemp to sheep has many advantages it however has to be consumed in controlled quantities. If taken in excess everything is a poison and hemp follows this general rule. Hemp can affect blood clotting, cause diarrhoea due to the fats it contains, among other non-desirable out comes. These however only result as an effect of over feeding; it is therefore safe to feed hemp to sheep but also important to control the quantity.
