By Dr. J.D.Bobb
Successful weaning of your lamb crop requires planning that starts several weeks ahead of the expected wean date. We recommend that lambs be weaned at 60-70 days of age. The lambs should be well-adjusted to eating creep and drinking water by this age. The creep ration should be a 16% protein ration at this age.
The producer should not feed the ewe flock any corn the last week prior to weaning and the ewes should be on coarse grass hay. The reduction of energy will signal the ewe to reduce her milk production and result in less mastitis and ruined udders. I know many people restrict water at the time of weaning, but I do not. If you have done a good job in reducing the quality of forage intake the ewes will dry off correctly. You should walk the weaned ewe pen multiple times a day for the first week watching for signs of mastitis. If you see a ewe with a full, reddened, swollen painful udder, that maybe reluctant to move freely, you should treat her immediately and aggressively. Nuflor and Flunixin work very well in most cases. The higher the milk production, the higher the chance for mastitis. Poor milking ewes rarely have mastitis following weaning.
Lambs wean best if they stay in familiar surroundings. If you can move the ewes to a distant area and leave the lambs in a pen where they know the location of feed and water that is advisable. Makes sure that there is a source or multiple sources of clean, fresh water available. Adding a source of water-soluble Vitamin E and electrolytes to the water sources is recommended. The Vitamin E will help boost immune function and reduce cases of White Muscle Disease. The electrolytes balance the lambs body needs and requirements. Lambs like long stem hay at weaning time and many prefer the hay over a grain source. You should limit the amount of hay after one week, and work at getting the lambs onto a higher grain diet. Keeping a source of high-quality hay at low levels in their diet helps prevent Polio, Acidosis, Water Belly, and digestive upset. Bi carb offered free choice as well, is a good idea. Lambs should be gaining a pound a day during this phase, and some lambs will gain over a pound and a half. We think most lambs should be marketed by five months of age, the best-doing lambs will be ready by four months of age.
Keep weaned lambs in an area that has plenty of fresh air avoiding stale high ammonia barns. The high ammonia levels lead to a barn cough and rectal prolapsing.
Western lambs that have been on grass often are much older when weaned. These lambs should be started with a grass base diet and slowly worked to a concentrate diet over a three-week period. The western lambs definitely should also be started with Vitamin E and electrolytes in their water. If you have questions about handling the ewes or lambs at weaning please give us a call.
