I was just wondering how do you make your lambs grow fast after they have been out of the lambing pens. Thanx

-- Andrew Paisley (Andrew_p25@hotmail.com), December 10, 2001

Answers

Response to Lambs

Make sure they had their cd/t shots and give plenty of lamb feed. Also make sure they are wormed. Debbie

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), December 10, 2001.

Response to Lambs

Are talking about the lambing pens that they are in initially with their mothers? Are they still with their mothers? If so, partition off a separate area with a panel that allows the lambs to get through, but not the mothers.( We built several using upright pieces of PVC pipe slid over pieces of scrap wood that act as rollers about 12" apart .Also have seen some made from modified wooden pallets. ) Than give them grain,free choice.Clean any uneaten grain up at nightfall to discourage rodents.Provide the best hay you have in the lamb area as well as fresh clean water. Make sure they are wormed and treated for coccidiosis as well. Having fecal tests done at the vets is a good long range management tool. Make sure they are boostered with the Type C & D Enterotoxemia vaccine . If these are lambs that are already weaned, the advice on the worming and vaccinations still stands. We weigh our lambs 2-3 times a week, using our bathroom scale, nothing fancy. A good gain is 1/2 to 3/4 or up to a pound a day on the bigger guys.

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), December 10, 2001.

Response to Lambs

I use an 8 way vacine instead of just C and D, it doesn't cost much more here, and it covers alot more. We start the lambs off on an 18% pelleted ration with Decox (you've some choices on that) ASAP. Lambs grow fastest in the first 3 or 4 months of life. Kind of nice if you can work lambs within a one month age group, and cut the creep ration to 16% at two months. We also move to a whole grain or rolled ration mix, and away from pellets. As said before your best hay in the creep feeder, even if they're on pasture. Be sure to change it as well. We havn't had a lot of trouble with worms in lambs, they're a good group to monitor and get fecal samples done. Kind of depends when you finish them too. As light lambs or heavy lambs. Some years we've had to do the works at 2 months; some years they sail through to 80 pounds wormer free. I'd say all going on to 100+ pounds have been wormed around 50 pounds

-- Ross McElroy (amulet@istar.ca), December 11, 2001.