How much weight will a lamb gain per day?
An average of at least 0.6 pounds per day gain should be expected for healthy, growthy lambs on a good concentrate finishing ration.
How much weight do lambs gain per week?
This is especially important before weaning takes place, as it is during this period that lambs put on most of their liveweight gain. In general, lambs can be expected to gain in the region of 2kg per week pre-weaning (see Table 1, top right). Post-weaning liveweight gain drops to around half of the pre-weaning level.
How can I increase my lambs weight?
Increase the amount of grain you feed the lamb by 1/8 to 1/4 pound over three or four days, on the same schedule, weighing out and splitting the total ration between two meals spaced 12 hours apart. Supplement with probiotics to aid digestion. Monitor your market lamb and weigh it weekly.
What was the average lamb weight increase over the past 20 years?
approximately 40 grams per head per day
Over the past 20 years these growth rates have improved by approximately 40 grams per head per day. Lambs are subject to less parasite challenge; many may never require drenching.
How much does a lamb eat per day in a feedlot?
Lambs will consume around 15–20 kg of feed during this period, but are unlikely to gain much live weight. Shy feeders and sick lambs should be identified during this period and removed from the feedlot. During the finishing phase of a feedlot program, an average feed conversion of 6 to 1 is assumed.
How long does it take to fatten a lamb?
Early finishing Intensive finishing on concentrate diets is a relatively easy process, with growth rates of 350 to 400 g/day allowing lambs to reach slaughter weight at 12 to 14 weeks of age.
How long does it take to get a lamb to market weight?
The top lambs get to 80 pounds at three and a half months. These are mostly single male lambs from adult ewes. Some lambs will need 6 or perhaps even 7 months to get to this weight.
How long does it take a lamb to reach market weight?
How much grain should a lamb eat per day?
Your spring born lamb can be fed to gain about 0.6 pounds per day during the summer. At this rate, it will gain a total of 63 pounds (0.6 x 105 = 63) from selection until show time.
What is the best grain to fatten lambs?
Good quality hay (alfalfa or other leguminous hay) and a concentrate mixture, containing 16 percent crude protein (as fed) with barley grain and soyabean meal as basic ingredients should be offered from two weeks of age.
Is a sheep feedlot profitable?
Feedlot finishing This practice, which adds as much value to the carcass as possible in a short period, has gained popularity in recent decades. A sheep feedlot can be a profitable operation on a diversified farm, but the expertise and management needed is not as simple as for a beef feedlot.
What is the best feed for fattening sheep?
What is the target finishing weight of lambs?
Target finishing weight is 48kg, which at 44% kill-out, will yield a 21kg carcase. Assuming lambs average a daily liveweight gain of 150g/day, it will take close to 12 weeks to finish these animals, meaning they are marketed in November.
What weight should a lamb be before slaughter?
The target weight is typically 16-21kg deadweight (see “Typical requirements for different markets”). Above 21kg, processors are unlikely to pay for the extra weight – so producers are essentially giving this away for free.
What percent protein do lambs need?
Protein requirements vary with the state of the sheep: weaner lambs and pregnant or lactating ewes need 15% protein. growing adult sheep need 12% protein. at least 9% protein is needed for survival.
What do you feed lambs in a feedlot?
All feedlot rations should contain grain, roughage and necessary minerals, such as ground limestone and salt. Salt may not be necessary if it is present in the water supply. Additional additives may be needed to improve overall lamb performance, depending largely on the quality of the major ingredients of the ration.
How much grain should a sheep eat per day?
The amount offered depends on the condition or fat covering of the ewes and quality of the forage. If ewes are in fair to good condition, 0.5–0.75 lb (225–350 g) daily is usually sufficient. The roughage content of the ration should provide all the protein required for all nonlactating ewes.
How long do lambs stay in feedlot?
Most lambs will need to be fed within a feedlot for 3 to 5 months when feeding for growth rate is the primary goal. Survival feeding will require a much longer and more expensive cost per kg of weight gain. A diet of straw and poor pasture will result in very little or no weight gain.
Are feedlot lambs more efficient when self-fed?
Feedlot lambs are more efficient when self-fed than when hand-fed twice daily. Lambs fed whole grains have as good or better performance than when they are fed rolled or ground grains. If lamb finishing rations are more than 60 percent roughage, they should be pelleted for best performance.
How long does it take to raise lambs to finishing weight?
Most well fed lambs will be gaining .5 pounds per day. At .5 pounds of gain per day you’ll need to raise those lambs for 90 days to get them up to the 90 day finishing weight. The lambs in this example will be finished in 90 days, if all goes well.
How often do you change feedlots for Lambs?
Some feedlots have a series of five to nine different rations that are changed every two to three days to enable lambs to adapt to a high-concentrate finishing ration within 15 to 20 days. When lambs are fed with self-feeders, another set of management considerations are needed.
How much does a lamb weigh at show time?
At an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.7 pounds per day and a target weight of 135 pounds at show time, the lamb must weigh at least 65 pounds at the time of selection. This is calculated by multiplying the number of days, times the expected gain and subtracting that