# 3 month old lambs



## moday (Mar 28, 2008)

We are raising fair lambs, and I'm not sure if we are feeding them enough, as they always seem hungry....but I think that they would eat until they die!

They weigh around 80 pounds right now. I'm trying to get an answer on how long a grain feeding should be per animal or how much weight in grain they should get each day.

They are kept in a pen but they do get a couple flakes of hay each day. There are 5 of them and I'm doing about 10 #'s of grain per day along with the hay. I think that I'll bump the grain quantity up to like 15 #/day.

I don't want them to be too skinny. Maybe I should work more pasture into their day. They've about eaten down everything in their area.

How do you detemine if their cover if adequate? They have their wool, so it's hard to judge.

Thanks in advance


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

You have 3 month old lambs that actually weigh 80 lbs?!!!. Holy crap! Either you have very fat lambs or very large framed lambs. I have 5 lambs in a pen and they get about 2-3 lbs of corn/oats per day between all of them. Feeding 15 lbs grain a day you'll not only lose money, you'll lose a lot of money.

You judge the condition by feeling along the back bone. If you have what feels like fat rising above the level of the backbone forward of the hips (and I think you will) you have over conditioned lambs. 

Give them hay, give them pasture if you can. Cut the grain way back. They ALWAYS act like their starving. If they don't, they're sick.

FWIW- I aim to lamb in March/April. By Christmas sale time I want a lamb that weighs between 100-130 lbs. That's meat, not fat. You do the math.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

What breed of sheep do you have?


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## moday (Mar 28, 2008)

They are Suffolk lambs. Maybe they are closer to months old, but I brought them home on April 10. They weight 130 by the end of the summer, so I didn't think that 80 lbs was too heavy.

I can feel the backbone, and our sheep superindent for the fair told me that they were skinny.

Hard to judge, as we are new at this.

Thanks,


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## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

Where are you located? Are they under temperature stress of any kind? What's your fair date? Have they been dewormed recently? UTD on the CDT shots? What's your concentrate that you are feeding them?

Feeding club lambs is very different from feeding other types of lambs. We don't do club lambs anymore for that reason- our lambs are on pasture/hay mainly and do just fine- but they grow slower.

Since you are raising them as the larger class of club lamb, which will typically be on feed for about 100 days- they will need a fair amount of grain to reach that weight in that time. Check with your supplier but typically club lambs get less hay and more concentrate. If you google club lamb feeding you should find several good club lamb websites.

Here's an example of the amount you would feed if you were using Kent Show lamb 18DQ:

Lamb Weight Approx. Intake, lb. 
60 - 2.5 
70 - 3.0 
80 - 3.3 
90 - 3.5 
100 - 3.7 
110 - 4.0 
120 - 4.0 
130 - 4.0 

(correct chart now!)


http://www.kentshowfeeds.com/products/sheep/show-lamb-complete.html

Good luck.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I wouldn't give a full grown pregnant/nursing ewe that much grain per day.
And you can always feel the backbone no matter how fat they are.

1-1 1/2 lbs is all they *need* along with all the hay or pasture they want.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Lamb Weight Approx. Intake, lb.
> 60 - 2.5
> 70 - 2 3.0
> 80 - 23.3
> ...


The chart *above* is INCORRECT



> Lamb Weight Approx. Intake, lb.
> 60 2.5
> 70 3.0
> 80 3.3
> ...


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## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

Thanks for catching that- darn copy/paste and no proofreading! I fixed it.

I agree with you that I wouldn't feed my sheep that much- but that IS what it takes to make a club lamb meet the weight it needs to compete. It's an artificial rearing to produce a large lamb in a little time.

That's why DD stopped showing club lambs- and sells hers directly from the farm to buyers with very little marketing. Buyers find us...


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## moday (Mar 28, 2008)

Are those weights in pounds and a daily feed quantity, or two feedings a day?

Thanks in advance.


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## shiandpete.1 (Aug 13, 2008)

Where are you located? Does your county have a weight limit? Where we are the low weight is 100 by fair and there is no top weight limit. At weigh in last week our Suffolk Hamp cross wethers weighed 89 and 90 lbs. We talked to a family that wins constantly at futurities and fairs and told us to get our lambs up to 4lbs concentrate a day, that includes some sort of fat mixed in, either corn or corn oil. Don't over do the protien as you will burn up the lamb. Depending on when your fair is you start exercising a month before hand. Try to push the feed now before it gets too hot and they don't want to eat. Ours get about a handful of hay each morning and night.


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## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

If you go over to MyLamb.org, they have a message board for people doing what you are doing. They have a lot of good advice on how to feed a market/fair lamb.


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

Guys these are club lambs the rules/desired results are quite different.

80lbs is on the low end of normal for 3 month olds especially suffolks, but it's ok. When is your fair date, and how old will they be at fair time? At most fairs the bottom weight class is 90lbs but you defiantly don't want to be in that class. There has never been a lightweight class champion in all my experience. You should be feeding them separately or at least in pairs so you can better monitor their feed consumption and health.

shiandpete.1 has some good suggestions. Does your feed store offer a show lamb grain mix these are optimal for growing show lambs, they only need that along with a few handfuls of alfalfa per feeding. I would bump everyone up to at least 3.5 lbs per day. Remember to always add more grain slowly, no more than 1/4 lb per lamb every three days.

I would limit their pasture time, you want them to be lying around building up fat and muscle not burning it all off walking around in a pasture.


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## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

Walking around in a pasture will develop muscle and they really shouldn't have more than a 1/2" fat cover anyway (at least around here). Confining them in a pen is one reason why the 4H kids around here have to walk them all the time. Gets the lamb exercised and teaches the lamb to move with the handler.

DD raised her club lambs on pasture (we have a 14% hill) without pushing concentrate and won best carcass. Beat out all the big fat lambs ... 

But anyway- club lambs are a special group- do what your supervisor says and you'll probably do well in your area.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Thanks for catching that- darn copy/paste and no proofreading! I fixed it


LOL I knew something was wrong when it said an 80 lb lamb should get over 23 lbs a day.

That would be one EXPENSIVE, FAT lamb


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## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

Aren't they all if you feed much grain?


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## shiandpete.1 (Aug 13, 2008)

It is a science feeding club lambs that is for sure. And bearfoot, thank goodness it isn't 23lbs of grain....we did that with market steers and it gets expensive!


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## Goatsandsheep (Jun 7, 2006)

Shaving a strip over the ribs makes it easier to feel for cover. Are you group feeding grain or separating each lamb so you know how much each ones eating?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Aren't they all if you feed much grain?


LOL That's the truth.

Luckily I can get about 9 months of *just pasture *if we get enough rain


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## moday (Mar 28, 2008)

I started this string and thanks for the great info.

We appreciate the input.

I don't want to go broke, but want healthy lambs.

They are probaby closer to 4 months old. I've bumped up the protein in my last grain purchase by adding more lamb concentrate.

I'm trying to get the kids to walk them more. Should be easier when school is out soon.

I feed all five together, but they have a 6 foot trough, so they really don't fight each other for the food. At least so far.

I'm at 10 pds grain/mix per day with large flake of hay in am and pm. I will bump the 10 pds up slowly over the summer. 

Two go to fair at end of July and 3 at end of Aug. I've got time, I just don't want to think that they are under-nourished. That is not our plan at all.

Thanks again


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## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

Just make sure they are completely UTD on their clostridium shots (CD&T). Enterotoxemia is quite common if they aren't (over-eaters disease).

Good luck and be sure they remember- it's about what they learn doing it- not just the fair and sale.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

I stand corrected on the "club lamb" thing. I never heard of anyone feeding out like that, but then I never got into showing.


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