This final instalment of the lambing season 'Winning at Weaning' series brings you some tips for successful lamb rearing this season.

With the lambing season kicking off, long days and minimal sleep will be a familiar pattern for producers.

While you read this with a coffee in hand, it’s worth ensuring that these practical tips are still an essential part of your system to rear strong and healthy lambs.

In this final article of the series, Dr. Jessica Cooke says producers should not be afraid to adjust systems partway through the season to ensure the points below are being implemented. 

For a lamb under 24-hours-old, it is imperative that it receives colostrum - within the first six hours of birth and continued for the first 24 hours;

Choosing the correct feeding system for surplus lambs will often depend on the number of lambs you are rearing and the facilities available. There are three main options: bottle feeding; ad lib via bucket; or machine feeding;

Specially formulated ewe milk replacer, such as Lamlac, is designed to be a complete diet, providing the lamb with all the energy and nutrients it needs. Feeding a surplus lamb enough high-quality ewe milk replacer is the key to healthy, profitable growth. A single lamb reared artificially to weaning (at an average of 35 days-of-age) will require at least 9.5kg of Lamlac (equating to 47.5L of reconstituted ewe milk replacer);

Remember that a high-quality ewe milk replacer, such as Lamlac, can be fed cold to lambs from eight days-of-age, with trials work over the past several years proving there is no drop in performance. Feeding lambs cold ad lib milk offers shepherds a simple, practical, and highly cost-effective method of rearing any surplus offspring where or when warm water is not available;

Good hygiene is essential. From thorough cleaning of bottles and teats, to ensuring the lambing and maternity pens are clean, bedded with deep, fresh straw, and free from draughts, which could induce hypothermia in young lambs. Using bales to exclude draughts and provide warm spots for lambs to lay will help ensure strong growth rates and healthy animals;

Offering roughage to young lambs early, and keeping it refreshed daily, will make it attractive and encourage consumption from an early age. This will support effective digestive development and ensure that transitioning away from milk will be straightforward. Do not feed ad-lib roughage, such as hay, during milk feeding as this can reduce concentrate intake and ultimately delay weaning;

There are three main criteria for successful weaning. Lambs should be a minimum of 2.5 times their birth weight (9-10kg); a minimum of 35 days-of-age; and consuming 250g of solid feed per day for a three-day period. Once all these are achieved, producers can be confident that lambs can thrive without the need for additional milk replacer;

Abrupt weaning practices should be followed if lambs are old enough and intake of solid feed is adequate. Withdrawing Lamlac abruptly will ensure a quick and effective transition away from milk replacer and reduce the likelihood of digestive upsets. Lambs should have been eating solid feed for at least 10 days and be making use of the drinking water supply.

With all these factors in place, producers should be confident in a system that produces strong, healthy surplus lambs, while delivering a return on their investment.

To find your local Lamlac representative, visit the Ireland Team page here.