Key points:
* Provide good nutrition in the first 3 months of life
* Measure weaning weights
* Test feed in weaner paddocks

Good weaner management is about being in control. To do this you need to know how both the lambs and pasture are performing and take action to prevent weight loss.

The first three months of a lamb’s life is critical to weaner performance. This is when rumen development occurs, thus setting the lamb up for life. If adequate nutrition is not received during the first three months, lambs never fully recover and the impact can be very costly. Once rumen development is complete lambs are able to recover from short periods of poor nutrition. 

Lambs should be weaned 14 weeks from the start of lambing.  As a rule, by 12 weeks of age lambs are getting less than 20% of their nutritional requirements from the milk, although some composite breeds can have extended lactation periods. Weaning at 14 weeks also allows adequate time to get the ewe back into condition (score 3) for the next joining.

Where possible reduce stress on the lambs by removing the ewes from the lambs rather than the other way round. Move ewes and lambs to the desired weaning paddock to familiarise lambs with the new environment, then remove the ewes a week later.

Measuring lamb weaning weights should be a key part of any management system. Lambs weighing less than 20kg at weaning are at significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Remove the lighter lambs, which are often twins and triplets, and feed them to get their weight up and prevent weight loss. These light lambs have no reserves to pull them through the difficult times.

Test the pasture in potential weaning paddocks one week before weaning. With this information you can select the best paddock for the weaners and/or identify supplementary feeding requirements to meet any nutritional gaps.

You will be surprised how many green pastures are under the Metabolisable Energy (ME) requirements for weaner lambs (11 MJ ME/kg DM). In some pastures this deficit is already occurring in August/September, not just when the pastures are drying off.

Where possible imprint lambs pre-weaning to new feed and equipment which they will be exposed to after weaning. Introduce grain or fodder crops, place feeders in the paddock, run lambs through the feedlot. This familiarisation as lambs will help minimise setbacks later in life.

Details: Heidi Goers, Rural Solutions SA and San Jolly, Productive Nutrition P/L. This article is based on a presentation given by San Jolly at a recent Sheep Forum held by the Lower North Lamb Group at Roseworthy.

CONTACT: Heidi Goers, Livstock Consultant, Rural Solutions SA, Roseworthy.  Telephone 8303 7925, Mobile 0422 002 365, goers.heidi@saugov.sa.gov.au