| From ~2 wk of age, lambs should have free access to creep feed unless they are born and raised on succulent pasture. Where pasture is limited, they should be creep-fed for 1-2 mo until adequate forages are available. If pasture will not be available until the lambs are 3-4 mo old, they can be finished in a dry lot. The grain used should be ground coarse or rolled, but as the feeding period progresses, whole grains may be used. Small amounts of fresh, clean grain should be slowly
introduced to the lambs’ diet. The amount of grain is increased gradually until the lambs are on full feed. |
| Feeding lambs from birth to market in a dry lot, together with early weaning at 2-3 mo of age, has become more popular throughout the USA. A complete diet of hay, grain, and vitamin-mineral supplement is ground, mixed, and either fed as is or pressed into pellets 3/16- or 3/8-in. (5-10 mm) long. Such lambs usually reach market weight in 3½-4 mo. See
Table:
Creep Rations for Suckling and Early-weaned Lambs for some examples of creep rations used in dry lot feeding. |
| Rearing Lambs on Milk Replacer: |
| Orphaned lambs, extras, triplets, or those from poor-milking ewes can be raised on milk replacers to improve productivity. Such lambs should receive 10-20% of their body wt in colostrum divided into multiple feedings within 18-24 hr of birth. If ewe colostrum is unavailable, a frozen, pooled supply from several cows can be used. Milk replacers designed specifically for lambs are available and contain ~30% fat, 25% protein, and a high level of antibiotic. Under certain
conditions it may be advisable to inject orphaned lambs with vitamins A, D, and E and selenium. In handrearing systems, milk replacer should be fed at 10-20% of the lamb’s body wt, divided into 4-6 feedings/day during the first week of life. The number of feedings can be reduced over time to only 2/day by 3-4 wk of age. |
| Multiple-nipple pails or containers can be used. Cold milk replacer can be used by older lambs who nurse more often. By 9-10 days of age, lambs should be given water in addition to the milk if a creep ration is offered. They can be weaned abruptly at 4-5 wk of age if consumption of creep feed and water intake is at a reasonable level. |
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| Finishing Feeder Lambs: |
| Lambs should be preconditioned before they leave the producer’s property. This includes starting on feed, vaccinating, worming, and under some conditions, shearing. If this is not done, the lambs should be rested for several days and fed dry, average-quality hay after arrival at the feedlot. See Table:
Recommended Formulas for Finishing Lambs for some recommended formulas for finishing lambs. |
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| Feeding Method: |
| There is no best method or diet for finishing lambs. They may be finished on good to excellent quality forage (alfalfa, wheat) with no supplemental grain. They may be started on pasture or crop residue and moved to grain feeding systems as the forage is used up. When fed in a dry lot, they are usually allowed free access to feedstuffs. These diets may be completely pelleted, ground and mixed, a mixture of ground forage (alfalfa) pellets and grain, and/or high-concentrate type.
Self-feeding usually results in maximal feed intake and gain, and labor costs may be reduced. Hand-feeding can be mechanized with an auger system or self-unloading wagon. It involves feeding at regular intervals so that the lambs consume all the feed before more feed is offered. Feed consumption and gain can be controlled. When used, corn silage should be hand-fed to minimize spoilage. |
| Starting on Feed: |
| Feeders who feed lambs year-round, or feed heavy lambs, usually prefer to place the lambs on full feed as soon as possible (10-14 days). Lambs can be started safely on self-fed, ground, or pelleted diets containing 60-70% hay. Within 2 wk the hay can be reduced to 30-40% when the ration is not pelleted. Other roughages such as cottonseed hulls or silage can be used in a similar manner. |
| Vaccinating against enterotoxemia (
Clostridium
perfringens
types C and D) and feeding tetracyclines (22 mg/kg/day) in diets are useful in starting lambs on feed more rapidly and controlling
Pasteurella
multocida
and
Escherichia
coli
enteritis infections. |
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| Feeds: |
| Corn, sorghum, or alfalfa silage can replace about half the hay with hand-feeding, but finish and yield will be decreased to some extent.
See
Table:
Pattern for Range Supplements for Sheep for rations that can be used in self-feeding. Corn, barley, milo, wheat, or a mixture of these are used; 0.5% salt and 0.5% bone meal or equivalent should be added to the grain. Pelleting of rations for finishing lambs is beneficial when low-grade roughages or high-roughage rations are used. Caution should be used when feeding large amounts of wheat; lambs not adapted to it are more apt to develop acute indigestion than if fed grains such
as corn, sorghum, or barley. |
| Mineral supplements, including salt, should be offered separately whether or not they are included in the grain mixture. Approved growth stimulants usually increase growth rate 10-15% and feed efficiency 8-10% but may decrease carcass quality. |
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