Finishing systems for growing lambs
| Project start date: | 30 May 2014 |
| Project end date: | 30 June 2017 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Sheep, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Victoria |
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Summary
One of the issues facing the members of the Bullioh Best Wool Best Lamb (BWBL) group, located in the Upper Murray region of Victoria, is finishing lambs to sale weights before the end of the spring flush.
The aim of this Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) was to explore feeding methods that would enable a higher proportion of lambs to reach sale weights prior to the end of the spring flush and to reduce the number of carry-over lambs.
Results identified that the greatest nutritional limitations occurred in late pregnancy and early lactation which impacted on ewe condition score and early lamb growth rates but were followed by adequate growth rates (300 g/day or more) occurring between marking and first sale of lambs and coinciding with the spring flush.
Objectives
The objectives of this PDS were to explore feeding methods that would enable a higher proportion of lambs to reach target sale weights prior to the end of the spring flush and reduce the number of carry-over lambs into the following year.
Progress
Group members acknowledged the value of monitoring lamb growth rates, ewe condition and pasture quality and quantity. However, it takes considerable time for producers to gain the confidence to use these skills and to invest in electronic identification equipment when they have small (<1000 ewes) flocks.>
An evaluation of group members showed improvements in all parameters measured. These included 57% increase in knowledge (range between 21% increase to 105% increase), 35% for attitude (range between 13%increase to 79% increase), 58% for skills (range between 28% increase to 121% increase), 29% for aspirations (range between 16% increase to 43% increase) and 35% for adoption (range between 2% increase to 106% increase).
The ADOPT model was used to predict the likely adoption profile against the innovation of monitoring to optimise lamb production with prime lamb producers with less than 1000 ewes. Results predicted the peak level of adoption of 83% would take 20 years.
An economic analysis of spreading the sale of lambs produced and the additional costs found a $35/head net gain of selling prime lambs born June/July at the end of the spring flush (1 December), compared to carrying lambs over and selling 8 months later (31 July).
