PDS: Optimising merino lamb performance through containment

Summary

Finishing Merino wether lambs on cereal stubbles in the WA Wheatbelt is common due to low cost, but declining stubble quality, seasonal feed unreliability, and market penalties for over-aged lambs highlight the need for improved post-weaning nutrition strategies. 

The aim of this Producer Demonstration Site (PDS)project is to demonstrate that utilising containment finishing systems for Merino wether lambs post-weaning can improve profitability, market compliance, and early market readiness compared to paddock finishing in the WA Wheatbelt. 

Objectives

By April 2029, in the Wheatbelt and Upper Great Southern Regions of WA, this project will establish 3 demonstration sites, with each site implementing both a paddock-based (control) and a containment finishing strategy, engaging 10 core producers and a minimum of 40 observer producers: 

1. Demonstrate and assess potential improvements in a containment system versus a paddock-based feeding system for growing lambs to meet market specifications, focusing on meeting processor requirements of 22–24 kg hot carcass weight, fat score 2–3, and a minimum dressing percentage of 44%. Improvements that will be monitored include: 
   • Increasing average daily weight gains from 150–200 g/head/day (paddock-based) to 250–300+ g/head/day (containment). 
   • Increase the average hot carcase weight by 15% in containment-finished merino lambs compared to the paddock-finished group to align with trade lamb market specifications of 22-24kg HCW. 
   • Increase the proportion of lambs achieving the optimal fat score according to market specifications (2–3) by 25% in containment-finished groups compared to paddock-based finishing.  
   • Achieve higher average dressing percentages in containment-finished Merino lambs compared to those finished in traditional paddock systems. 
2. Identify market opportunities for finished merino lambs earlier during the season (Spring/early summer vs late summer/autumn) to reduce the grazing pressure on paddock-based feed sources, such as stubbles and dry pastures. 
3. Identify the potential for containment finishing to enable earlier turn-off of lambs, thereby reducing feed pressure on stubble and pasture resources and allowing these forages to be reallocated to other livestock classes, such as breeding ewes. 
4. Conduct a comparative economic analysis between finishing lambs in containment systems and paddock-based systems, incorporating feed costs, labour, infrastructure use, and carcass returns, to assess relative profitability and return on investment. 
5. Quantify the production improvement potential of merino wether lambs in the region by measuring average daily gains and feed conversion efficiency across both systems, providing regionally relevant data to support future adoption. 
6. Successfully achieve adoption of on-farm containment finishing systems by at least 70% of core producers and intention to adopt by at least 60% of observer producers, supported by surveys, field days, case studies, newsletters, social media, and a WhatsApp group for peer-to-peer communication. 

Progress

Finishing Merino wether lambs on cereal stubbles has long been a low-cost strategy in the WA Wheatbelt, but declining stubble quality, seasonal feed shortages, and market penalties for over-aged lambs are putting pressure on traditional systems.

This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project, led by Facey Group with support from Meat & Livestock Australia, aims to show how containment finishing systems can transform lamb production in the Wheatbelt and Upper Great Southern regions.
By establishing three demonstration sites, the project will compare containment feeding with conventional paddock finishing, providing practical, region-specific data on growth rates, carcass quality, and profitability. Containment systems offer the potential to lift average daily gains from 150–200 g/head/day to 250–300+ g/head/day, achieve earlier market readiness, and improve compliance with processor specifications. This approach can also ease grazing pressure on stubbles and pastures, freeing up feed for breeding ewes and boosting whole-farm productivity.

Producers will gain insights into best-practice containment design, feed rations, animal health, and economic returns through field days, webinars, case studies, and practical guides. The project’s goal is to support adoption of containment finishing systems by at least 70% of core producers and build confidence across the wider farming community.

With changing seasonal conditions and evolving market demands, this project is about giving WA sheep producers the tools and knowledge to finish lambs more efficiently, profitably, and sustainably.