Advice for successful lamb rearing this spring
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In farming we are always looking for areas where we can make improvements or reduce wastage. It is well known that increasing the potential lamb harvest on farm through improving lamb survival and triplet management is an area where gains can be made. But what is the cost of that extra effort to rear orphan lambs, or more intensively shepherd your flock? Employing an extra lambing shepherd at $25/hr for 1 month would have to save 60 lambs to break even… or do it yourself and its all a bonus from your labour.
With current store lamb prices it is likely that Lambing rearing (at $40-50 per lamb) might stack up on lambs that would otherwise be a dead loss to the system. The economics of lamb rearing are favourable if you can get them onto 200g/lamb of meal after 5weeks (weaning off milk~12kg liveweight) and then keep them on this meal at 0.5kg/lamb with quality grass for another month (until 25kg+). To do this you have to be disciplined and organised with your system.
At our recent prolific ewe management and lamb rearing workshops we reviewed many issues and some new concepts and products.
We have made a lamb rearing resource for you on all aspects of the subject that you may need to review or consider when setting up for the season. Click Here
One of the new products we are stocking is a whey-based milk powder design for lambs and kids. It is SPRAYFO PRIMO LAMB.
- Nutritional components (fats and proteins) are micro-encapsulated to allow better absorption. It does not contain casein proteins, so it is rapidly absorbed across the gut. This promotes the consumption of meal, therefore developing the rumen faster and enabling earlier weaning. Feeding schedule is the same as other milk powders.
- Less risk of abomasal bloat. An alternative to yoghurtizing milk replacer.
SPRAYFO
Lamb Milk Replacer
Specially formulated for lambs and kids.
Faster absorption through noncurding and small particle size. Promotes earlier meal consumption and faster rumen development.
Feeding schedule is the same as other milk powders.
Less risk of bloat. Has been widely used in commercial lamb rearing operations.
Cost effective.
