Feeding of preweaned lambs for birth to 90 days of age

FEEDING OF PREWEANED LAMBS FROM BIRTH TO 90 DAYS OF AGE

  • The development of lambs in the first four months is faster than the kids.
  • Doubling or tripling of the birth weights is reached much earlier in lambs than by kids.
  • The most critical period in the life of a lamb is during first 48 hours. If a lamb is unable to nurse within half an hour after birth, it should be assisted to suckle to get the advantage of colostrum.

Creep feeding

  • Lambs upto 12 weeks of age, suckling the sheep should be supplemented with creep ration which they start to consume at about 2 weeks of age.

Creep mixtures 

Ingredients
I
II
III
Maize flour
67
50
30
Barley flour
-
17
-
Oat flour
-
-
37
Groundnut cake
10
10
10
Wheat bran
10
10
-
Rice polish
-
-
10
Fish meal
10
10
-
Meat meal
-
-
10
Mineral mixture
2
2
2
Sodium chloride
1
1
1

  • Along with creep mixture, adequate amount of Vit A supplement should be given. At 90 days of age, about 300 g of creep mixture is consumed by a lamb.
  • After the development of rumen, good quality leguminous fodder/hays, may be given.
  • The lambs should be allowed to suckle the dam twice daily and kept separately where creep mixture, roughage, mineral mixture and water are available at free choice.

Feeding of lambs from 10th day till weaning

  • After 10th day of age lambs should be fed good quality legume along with concentrate mixture to about 50-100 gm/day along with salt and mineral mixture.
  • It should be supplemented with vitamin mixture and antibiotic preparation like tetracyclines.

Feeding schedule

Body weight (kg)
Concentrate mixture (g/day)
Roughage* (g /day)
Remarks
12 -15
200
400
8 hours grazing can be substituted in place of roughages
16 -25
250
600
8 hours grazing can be substituted in place of roughages
26 -35
300
700
8 hours grazing can be substituted in place of roughages

  • Grasses such as Cenchrus species, Legumes pastures such as  Stylo, Sirato, Groundnut haulms, grass and legume mixture may also be given.
  • It is better to keep the lambs in the stall for mutton production specially in the monsoon period because the animals do not relish to graze the wet grasses and are also prone to diseases. Free choice mineral blocks are to be provided in the sheds. Cross bred sheep attain 30 kg body weight by 6 months of age,while native breeds may take 9 months.
Last modified: Saturday, 31 March 2012, 7:34 AM