by
Susan Schoenian
Date of last revision:
20-Jul-2007 21:30
There are
many ways to feed lambs. One way is not better than the other. The appropriate
feeding program is usually dictated by geographic location, production system,
marketing options, and cost and availability of feed. Lambs born in the winter
are often creep-fed and finished on high concentrate feeds, while lambs born
later in the season are often placed on pasture with their dams. Feeding programs
can utilize both pasture and grain.
For the first several weeks of life, all a lamb needs for nourishment is its mother's milk. Lambs will start to nibble on solid food soon after birth. A ewe's milk production peaks between 3 and 4 weeks of lactation. By the time lambs are 4 to 6 weeks old, they may be obtaining as much as 50 percent of their nutrient intake from sources other than their mother's milk.
Creep feeding is a means of supplying extra nutrition, usually grain, to nursing lambs. It is especially beneficial for lambs managed in intensive production systems in which early weaning is practiced. Creep feeding is advantageous for flocks which have a lot of multiple births or in flocks where milk production is a limiting factor. It is more efficient to feed the lamb directly than to feed the ewes for milk production. Creep feeding is usually of less value for lambs that will be developed on pasture in the spring and summer. Creep feeding may not be cost-effective in all production systems.
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Creep
feeding increases weaning weights and helps with early weaning.
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Lambs should be started on creep feed between 1 and 2 weeks of age, though they will not eat significant amounts of feed until they are three to four weeks old. Providing early access to creep feed gets lambs in the habit of eating dry feed and helps stimulate development of their rumens. It helps with early weaning.
Lambs gain access to creep feed through a "creep," which is simply an opening in the fence or gate that is large enough for the lambs to get through, but too small for the ewes to enter. It is best that creep gates have multiple openings so the lambs do not think they are trapped. Ideally, the lambs should have access to the creep area from multiple sides. A small used tire can also be used as an inexpensive creep gate. Feeders used in the creep area should be designed so that lambs cannot stand or play in them. Two inches of feeder space per lamb is recommended.
The creep
area should be placed in a high traffic area where lambs will naturally find
their way to it. A light in the creep area will help to attract lambs. A sunny
spot in the barn is an ideal place to place the creep. In addition to providing
creep feed, the creep area is a place for lambs to loiter and sleep. It should
be kept dry and well-bedded. Two square feet of space per lamb is recommended
for the creep area. Water should be available in the creep area, as well as
high quality hay. Creep feeders can also be set up on pasture.
The creep ration does not need to be complex or expensive. At a young age lambs prefer feeds that are finely ground and have a small particle size. Feeds that have high palatability for lambs include soybean meal, ground corn, and alfalfa hay. Some producers start lambs out on soybean meal. It is expensive, but the lambs do not eat much at an early age. Crumbled or textured rations are consumed better than pelleted creep feeds. The feed should be fresh and dry and should never be allowed to run out.
Because the growth of young lambs is mostly lean muscle (protein) rather than fat, protein supply is critical. The creep ration should contain 18 to 20 percent crude protein. The protein in creep feed should be all natural; urea should not be fed to young lambs. As lambs get older, they prefer coarser diets and whole grains. Older lambs deposit more fat, thus their requirement for protein diminishes.
The creep feed should contain a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio to prevent urinary calculi (kidney stones) in male lambs. Inclusion of 1% feed grade limestone will also help to prevent urinary calculi. The creep feed should contain a coccidiostat to prevent coccidiosis. Deccox® (decoquinate) and Bovatec® (lasalocid) are both FDA-approved as coccidiostats for lambs. Rumensin® (monensin) is another coccidiostat, but it is not FDA-approved for lambs. Lambs should be vaccinated with Clostridium perfringins C & D to prevent overeating disease prior to weaning.
Creep-fed lambs are commonly weaned early (< 90 days) and placed on feed lot diets for finishing. Pasture-reared lambs must be brought gradually from a high roughage-low concentrate diet to a high concentrate-low roughage diet. This transition should take place over several weeks.
When finishing lambs on high grain diets, acidiosis, enterotoxemia, and urinary calculi can be potential problems. Acidosis can be prevented by including at least 10 percent roughage in the diet, by feeding a rumen buffer (e.g. sodium bicarbonate) and by avoiding sudden changes in the type or amount of ration fed. Urinary calculi can be prevented by providing a Ca:P ratio of at last 2:1, having a salt/mineral mix available free choice, and by feeding an urine acidifier like ammonium chloride. Getting lambs to drink plenty of water will also help to prevent urinary calculi.
Corn and soybean meal commonly form the basis of these feed lot diets. However, other grains and protein sources can replace all or part of the corn and soybean meal in the diet, depending upon availability and cost. The energy value of barley and grain sorghum (milo) relative to corn is 90 percent. Both can replace 100 percent of the corn in the diet. Due to its higher fiber content, oats have only 80 percent of the energy value of corn. Wheat is equal to corn, but should not replace more than 50 percent of the corn or barley in the diet.
Alternative sources of protein include cottonseed meal and peanut meal. Urea (the end product of nitrogen metabolism) has a crude protein equivalent of 281 percent and can supply up to one-third of the nitrogen in the diet (of older lambs). To determine the pounds of nitrogen in the diet, you multiply the total pounds of crude protein in the diet by 16 percent.
The decision to use other feeds should be based on their availablity and cost relative to corn and soybean meal. To determine if other feeds are a better value than corn and/or soybean meal, comparisons must be based on the cost per unit of nutrient (protein and energy). Differences in weight and nutrient content need to be factored into these calculations.
Whole
grain feeding
Whole-grain feeding of lambs improves feed efficiency, increases average
daily gain, and lowers overall feed costs per pound of gain. It is usually the
most profitable feeding program that can be used for grain-based finishing of
feedlot lambs. Whole-grain diets consist of whole (unprocessed) grains, such
as shelled corn or barley, mixed with a pelleted protein-vitamin-mineral supplement.
With whole grain diets, it is usually not necessary to incorporate roughage
(hay) into the diet or to supplemented it on the side. Consequently, whole-grain
diets are high in energy and promote accelerated lamb gains.
The feeding of whole grain provides lambs with a built-in "roughage factor." Only about one-third of the grain is cracked when first eaten by lambs. The remainder of the grain must be regurgitated during rumination for further mastication. This action of regurgitation and chewing contributes more saliva to the digestive process, thus increasing the buffering capacity of the rumen. Feeds containing processed grains must have roughage added to the grain mix or supplemented on the side to maintain proper rumen function and prevent digestive disorders.
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Feeding
a small amount of grain does not
dimish the health benefits of grass-fed lamb. |
Pelleted supplements for whole-grain feeding are commercially available and are formulated to contain the additional protein, vitamins, and minerals required by lambs. When commercial supplements are not available, a custom pelleted supplement can be prepared. Because feed grains are low in calcium, it is critical that pelleted supplements contain additional calcium as a preventive for urinary calculi. Ammonium chloride or ammonium sulfate can be added to the pelleted supplement at a rate equivalent to 0.5% of the complete feed as additional insurance for the prevention of urinary calculi.
Self-feeding
vs. hand feeding
In a self-feeding situation, lambs have feed in front of them at all times.
With hand (or limit) feeding, a set amount of grain is fed twice per day at
approximately the same time each day. There are pros and cons to each feeding
system. Lambs that are self-fed will consume more feed and gain faster. Lambs
that are hand-fed tend to make more efficient gains. It is easier to monitor
animal health when lambs are hand-fed. Hand feeding requires more feeder space
per lamb (9-12 inches vs. 1-2 inches). Hand-feeding requires more labor, so
it is less common with larger lamb feeding operations, though hand-feeding can
be automated. Regardless of the feeding program, abrupt changes to the ration
should never be made. Self-feeders should not be allowed to run out.
Feed
additives
Antibiotics and/or ionophores are often added to the feed lot diet to improve
lamb health and performance. Antibiotics are fed to reduce sub-clinical bacterial
infections of the digestive or respiratory tract. Ionophores (Deccox®
and Bovatec®)
are used to control coccidiosis in feed lot lambs. The use of both has been
shown to improve lamb average daily gain and feed efficiency. However, the combined
use of antibiotics and ionophores in the same feed is not approved by the FDA.
Probiotics
Probiotics are the opposite of antibiotics. They are living organisms of beneficial
bacteria. Yeast is a probiotic. Probiotics are also found naturally in fermented
foods like yogurt with live cultures. Probiotics may improve animal performance
by keeping livestock healthier and improving their digestion. Many commercial
feeds contain probiotics. Milk replacers usually contain probiotics. There is
limited research to attest to the benefits of probiotics in lamb diets.
Implanting
In the sheep industry, implanting lambs with Ralgro®
to improve growth rate is an accepted practice, approved by the FDA. Ralgro®
is not a hormone or steriod. It is a plant extract (zeranol) that causes estrogen-like
activity. Ralgro® is a pellet that is injected subcutaneously into the lamb's
ear. Lambs may be implanted more than once and may be marketed 40 days following
injection of the last implant. The cost of a single implant is less than 75
cents.
Implanted lambs tend to grow faster, be more efficient in their feed utilization, and produce heavier carcasses. Implanting produces various physiological changes in the lamb. It reduces the weight of the testicles in ram lambs and makes pelt removal during slaughter easier (a benefit). Implanting causes increased bone mineralization or bone maturity and can result in older lambs being wrongly graded as mutton. Ewe lambs should probably not be implanted, especially if they will be kept for breeding. Implanting has been implicated as a contributing factor to rectal prolapses.
Pasture finishing of lambs
Though pasture-fed lambs will usually not grow as fast as lambs fed concentrate diets, pasture rearing is often more economical. It is a more natural feed and environment for lambs. There seems to be a growing consumer demand for grass-fed animal products, due to the perceived health benefits. Grass-fed meat and milk tends to be lower in fat and higher in conjegated linoleic acid (CLA), vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and vitamin E than the meat and milk from grain-fed livestock. Regardless of diet, lamb is one of the best sources of CLA.
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Pasture
finishing of lambs is
becoming more popular. |
Excellent pasture and grazing management is generally required to finish lambs on pasture. Lamb growth rate can vary greatly, depending upon the type and quality of pasture being grazed. As pasture quality declines, lamb gains decline. Rotational grazing systems which result in lambs consuming plants in a vegetative state when they are the most nutritious and palatable, will produce the best pasture gains. Pastures containing legumes usually produce higher gains than those containing grass alone. The inclusion of warm season grasses into the pasture system may improve summer gains, as cool season grasses don't grow much during the summer months. Legumes will also improve summer growth of pastures.
Lambs grazing"novel endophyte" (MaxQ™) or non-toxic endophyte strains of tall fescue can be expected to gain better than those grazing infected fescue varieties. The initial grazing trials with MaxQ™ tall fescue were done with lambs. Lambs grazing Max Q™ or endophyte-free tall fescue gained 0.37 lbs. per day vs. lambs grazing endophyte-infected fall fescue, which gained only 0.22 lbs. per day.
Over a typical May to September grazing season, lambs tend to gain about one-third of a pound per day on traditional cool season pastures (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland data).
Internal
parasites
Internal parasites (gastro-intestinal worms) can have a significant effect on
the health and performance of grazing lambs. Traditional rotational and intensive
grazing systems may exacerbate internal parasite problems, if pasture rest periods
are not sufficient. In the past, it was advocated that grazing lambs be dewormed
every three to four weeks during the grazing season. This practice has contributed
to the widespread emergence of drug-resistance worms, making parasite control
with anthelmintics more difficult and costly. Effective internal parasite control
requires an integrated approach that combines appropriate pasture and animal
management strategies with selective and/or targetted use of anthelmintics.
Some forages have anthelmintic-like activity (e.g. sericea lespedeza, birdsfoot
trefoil, and chicory) and can be incorporated into a pasture and grazing program.
While coccidiosis is generally considered to be more of a problem with confined lambs, outbreaks can occur on pasture, especially with intensive grazing programs, where more lambs are concentrated on a smaller land area. In fact, any place where livestock congregate can be a potential source of infection: laneways, sheltering areas, watering areas, feeding areas. A coccidiostat (Bovatec® or Deccox®) in the mineral mix will help to prevent outbreaks of coccidiosis.
Predators
Grazing lambs are more susceptible to predation than those raise in confinement
or drylot. Predator control beings with a
good fence. Various management strategies can reduce the risk of predation.
The use of livestock guardians (guardian dogs,
llamas, or donkeys) has proven effective on many farms. Lethal control methods
may be necessary in some circumstances.
Supplementation
on pasture
Pasture gains can be improved with supplementation. Supplementation makes the
most sense when pasture quality is low. Supplementation will also help to stretch
the pasture resource and/or allow increased stocking rates. Supplementation
offers some of the same advantages as feed lot feeding, but without diminishing
the benefits of a pasture diet.
Supplementation may or may not be cost-effective. Most
of the research done with pasture supplementation has been done with cattle.
Some has been done with lambs in Europe and New Zealand. It
is usually suggested that livestock be fed no more than 1% of their body weight
in supplement. Research with cattle suggests that supplementation with feedstuffs
that are high in starch, such as grain, reduces forage digestability, as compared
to energy supplements with highly digestible fiber sources (soybean hulls, corn
gluten meal).
At this point, it is not known if some supplementation will be allowed under USDA's "grass-fed" definition. USDA's proposed definition stipulates that grass compose 99 percent of the energy in a ruminant's diet. Many producers are concerned that large corporation's will exploit USDA's definition to become major suppliers of grass-fed products. "Purists" favor no supplementation of ruminants on pasture, other than mineral mixes.
Supplementation
is permissible under organic standards, provided the supplement is organically
grown. However, any use of antibiotics, ionophores (or coccidiostats), or anthelmintics
is prohibited under organic standards.
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