Best practice for production feeding of lambs: a review of the literature

Summary

The purpose of this review was to thoroughly investigate all factors relating specifically to lamb growth with the objective of reducing the need for producers to continue to learn by their mistakes, to provide evidence with which to counteract or support industry myths, and to provide a strategic and soundly-based direction for research. This review has provided confirmation that the guidelines for the nutrient requirements of fast growing lambs vary widely and that there remains a diversity of opinion as to which is the correct source of information and this is yet to be resolved. The genetic value of Australian lambs is not being fully realised with growth rates well below potential, and although there is considerable variation between individual lambs in their nutritional response, it appears certain that their nutritional requirements remain unclear.