L.PDS.2001 - PDS: Exclusion Feeding for Lambs in Drought
Using exclusion feeding can significantly improve lamb growth rates.
| Project start date: | 08 August 2019 |
| Project end date: | 14 April 2022 |
| Publication date: | 26 April 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Southern Australia |
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Summary
This Producer Demonstration Site aims to demonstrate that early introduction and exclusion feeding of lambs during drought can result can result in enhanced weight gain, early weaning and profitable lamb production.
Objectives
• Demonstrate the productivity and efficiency benefits of introducing lambs to grain early through exclusion feeding prior to weaning.
• Measure the increase in skills and knowledge in relation to exclusion feeding.
• Identify and capture any barriers to adoption of exclusion feeding systems.
Key findings
Overall, the results showed that the control mob had increase in weight gain on 1.93kg or 2 grams per day over 97 days average. The economic benefit of this would mean that the gross margin of the trial mob would improve by $8.98 per head. These results were communicated through extension material such as research reports and case studies. All core producers have indicated that they would continue to use exclusion feeding if the seasonal conditions are suitable.
Benefits to industry
The main benefit of using exclusion feeding is improved weight gain in lambs. However this has add-on effects such as being able to wean lambs earlier which can aid in ewe health, there is less reliance on under-performing pastures and lambs may even reach a joining weight earlier which could also increase productivity.
MLA action
MLA continues to deliver the Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) program, supporting livestock producers working in peer-to-peer groups to pursue new skills, knowledge and management practices applicable to their own commercial livestock production systems.
Future research
The project has shown the potential for further research in this area. This is because as producers are using exclusion feeding there are more benefits being discovered that need to be quantified. There also can be more work done to improve the system to help reduce the labour component of exclusion feeding.
More information
| Project manager: | Alana McEwan |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
| Primary researcher: | Farmlink Research Limited |
