Feedlotting Lambs: A Producer's Guide

By Jenny Davis (Editor)

Lambs need high energy and protein levels and optimum conditions in which to grow rapidly. Now, with the increasing need to supply lambs all year round to meet market expectations, producers are more often turning to feedlotting lambs.

This guide offers realistic advice for producers who are considering feedlotting lambs where all nutrients are supplied, movement is restricted, and shade and water are provided. It will also be useful where supplementary feeding of grain, hay or other nutrients is used to lift the available nutrition to a level sufficient for maintenance, growth or production of the animal.

Feedlotting Lambs provides an understanding of the principles of nutrition, management issues and finishing lambs in order to meet market specifications.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Landlinks Press
• Release date: Nov 25, 2003
• ISBN: 9780643100084

Book preview

FEEDLOTTING LAMBS

A Producer’s Guide

Edited by Jenny Davis

© Department of Primary Industries 2003

Feedlotting lambs.

Includes index.

ISBN 0 643 06957 7.

1. Lambs – Feeding and feeds. 2. Feedlots.

I. Davis, Jenny, 1953–.

636.30843

Contact for further information:

Nic Linden

Department of Primary Industries

Rutherglen Research Institute

RMB 1145

Rutherglen Vic 3685

02 6030 4500

This publication may be of assistance to you but neither the publisher nor the State of Victoria and its employees guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from your relying on any information in the publication.

Published by and available from:

Landlinks Press

PO Box 1139

Collingwood Vic 3066

Australia

Cover design and text design by James Kelly

Set in 10.5/13 Minion

Printed in Australia by BPA Print Group

Front cover photograph courtesy of Jenny Davis

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Principles of nutrition

The sheep’s digestive system

Digestibility of different feeds

Understanding fermentation of different feed constituents and its impact on the ruminant

Planning and budgeting

Planning requirements

Budget

Purchasing feeder lambs

Which market to target and its suitability for lot feeding lambs

Trade lambs ‘Supermarket lambs’

Heavy trade lambs

Food service

Export

Forward contracts and estimating returns

Feedlot design

Feedlot site

Water supply

Feedlot size

Environmental enrichment

Feeding equipment

Self-feeders

Open troughs

Rations

Cereal grain

Grain legumes

Meals

Urea

Salt and limestone

Sodium bentonite and sodium bicarbonate

Roughage

Silage

Pellets

Preparing the ration

Ration formulation

Starter ration

Selection and preparation of lambs

Factors to consider in selection of lambs for the feedlot

Genetics

Preparation of lambs

Vaccination

Parasites

Shearing

Monitoring of lambs

Weighing and fat-scoring lambs

Shy feeders

Animal health

Grain poisoning (acidosis)

Pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia)

Pink eye (contagious ophthalmia or conjunctivo-keratitis)

Scabby mouth (Orf)

Vitamin A deficiency

Pneumonia

Coccidiosis

Case study

Rutherglen Research Institute Lamb Feedlot

Introduction

Lambs

Feedlot site

Feeding equipment

Rations

Mixing

Trial length

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

Appendix 1

What is LAMBPLAN?

How does the LAMBPLAN system work?

What can LAMBPLAN offer to producers?

Key benefits

What EBVs are applicable to the lot feeding of lambs?

Weight

Fat

Muscle

Reproduction

Example

Appendix 2

Dressing percentage

Factors that affect dressing percentage

Appendix 3

Websites of interest

Acknowledgements

This booklet is the result of the efforts of many people in the DPI Meat program, in particular:

Jeff Cave

Shyamal Das

Martin Dunstan

Gervaise Gaunt

Nick Linden

George Miller

Duncan Rowland

Stuart Warner

Shyamal Das contributed the photographs in Chapter 3.

We especially owe a great deal to the late Mr Bill Easton and his invaluable book Opportunity Lotfeeding of Lambs which forms the basis of this new book.

In addition to DPI Meat program staff, Roger Hegarty, Geoff Duddy and Peter Holst from the NSW Department of Agriculture contributed greatly to the scope of this book from their useful information on basic nutrition and current lamb feedlots.

Abbreviations

Introduction

The industry demand for a consistent supply of lambs within set specifications has resulted in many producers having to meet forward contracts. When meeting a forward contract, or finishing lambs out of traditional seasons, grain finishing is emerging as an important management tool. Unlike the beef industry, the lamb industry has been slower to adopt feedlot practices.

One reason for not utilising feedlots has been the mixed success of finishing lambs on grain. If optimum feedlot conditions are not provided, many lamb producers find that lambs lose weight for the first few weeks on grain, and an unacceptable