Weaning lambs and kids

SUSAN SCHOENIAN (Shāy-nē-ŭn) Sheep & Goat SpecialistWestern Maryland Research & Education Centersschoen@umd.edu – www.sheepandgoat.com
2011 Ewe and Doe Management Webinar Series
Small Ruminant Program

2011 Ewe and Doe Management Webinar Series
Jan 13 I. Late Gestation
Jan 20 II. Vaccinations
Feb 3 III. Parturition
Feb 10 IV. Neonatal Care
Feb 17 V. Lactation
Feb 24 VI. Weaning

Weaning
Removal of milk diet from young mammals
http://www.slideshare.net/schoenian/weaning

Weaning age in sheep and goats
Varies from 14 days to more than six months (natural).
Early < 90 days
In a dairy sheep operation, it is common to wean lambs at 30 to 35 days of age.
When lambs and kids are artificially reared, it is common to wean them between 6 and 8 weeks of age.
Late > 90 days
Natural

Weaning
There is no best time to wean.
There are pros and cons to different weaning ages and systems.
Weaning must be appropriate for the circumstances and production system.

There are many factors to consider when deciding when to wean
Age
Season of birth
Parasite problems
Predator risks
Market
Available labor
Facilities
Forage availability… and quality

Lambs
2.5 to 3 times birth weight.
20 to 25 lbs. for artificially-reared.
40 to 50 lbs. if raised on the dam.
2 to 2.5 times birth weight.
20 to 25 lbs. for meat and dairy kids.
Better to wean by size than age
Kids
Lamb or kid needs to be consuming enough dry feed to support maintenance and continued growth in the absence of milk in the diet.

PROS
Early weaning14-90 days (usually 60-90 days)
Eases lactation stress of high producing females.
Helps prolific females raise their offspring.
Allows females to return to breeding condition sooner.
There is less worm burden and predator risk when lambs and kids are weaned early and fed for market or breeding.
Feed cost savings: it is cheaper to feed lambs and kids than dams + offspring.

CONS
Causes stress to females and their offspring.
There is a greater risk of mastitis as females are still producing milk at the time of weaning.
More facilities and pastures are needed.
Requires a higher degree of management.
Early weaning

When is early weaning common?
(Semi) intensive production system
Early (winter) lambing
Shed lambing
Prolific females
Creep feeding
Finish lambs and kids on grain or grain + forage
Artificially-reared lambs and kids.
Sheep dairy
Show animals
Pasture is a limiting factor

Weaning artificially-reared lambs and kids
6 to 8 weeks is optimal
2 to 3 x birth weight
Minimum 20 to 25 lbs.
Need to be consuming enough dry feed to support maintenance and continued growth.
Why not wean later?
Cost of milk (replacer)
Labor
Retard rumen development and consumption of dry feed.
Wean abruptly
Do not dilute milk or reduce feedings.

Creep feeding
Providing supplemental nutrition to nursing lambs and kids.
Need to set up creep area where lambs/kids can enter but ewes and does are excluded.
Within 7 to 10 days of birth.
In a high traffic area.
Several openings.
Good visibility
Clean, dry, and well-bedded
Some rules of thumb:2 in. (5 cm) feeder space per lamb/kid
2 ft2 (0.19 m2) of creep pen per lamb/kid

Creep feed
Small particles
Easily digested
Fresh
Palatable
High protein
Always available

PROS
Late weaning> 90 days
More natural
Less stressful to dams and offspring.
Less risk of females developing mastitis.
Takes advantage of available forage to finish lambs and kids.
Pasture gains are often more economical than those achieved on grain.
Can manage animals in one group.

CONS
Late weaning> 90 days
Lambs and kids must compete with ewes and does for pasture.
Lambs and kids are more likely to become parasitized.
Predator risk is higher.
It may be necessary to castrate or separate males.

When is late weaning common?
(Semi) extensive production system
Late (spring) lambing
Pasture lambing
Less prolific ewes/does
No creep feeding
Finish lambs and kids on pasture.
Abundant pasture

Creep grazing
Creep feeding on pasture
Creep feeding
Image source: Otago Daily Times (NZ)
To improve growth rates of lambs and kids.
Get lambs and kids to market earlier.
Economics may vary by farm, species, and year.
Better nutrition (pasture or supplement) will improve parasite resilience.

Minimizing weaning stress
Creep feeding reduces the stress of weaning.
Wean dams from offspring, not the other way around.
Keep lambs and kids in their pre-weaning surroundings and groupings.
Do not change the diet of lambs and kids drastically the two weeks before or after weaning.
Perform vaccinations and other management tasks at least two weeks before weaning.
In cattle, fenceline reduces the stress of weaning (lambs and kids - ?)
Anti-suckle device

Management before weaning
CD-T Vaccinations
Prevention of coccidiosis
Reduce milk production in female

VACCINATED DAMS
Vaccinate lambs and kids with CD-T toxoid at approximately 6 and 10 weeks of age.
Vaccinate lambs and kids with CD-T toxoid at approximately 4 and 8 weeks of age.
Administer tetanus antitoxin at the time of docking, castrating, or disbudding.
CD-T vaccinationsClostridium perfringins type C & D and tetanus
UNVACCINATED DAMS

Coccidiostats*
Bovatec®
30 g/ton of feed
Rumensin®
15 g/ton of feed
Deccox®
Add 2 lbs. of the 6% Deccox to 50 lbs. of loose trace-mineral salt.
Put in drinking water for 21 days
Mix 1.5 oz of 9.6% oral solution in 100 gallons of drinking water
Drench lambs and kids for 21 days
Mix 1.5 oz of 9.6% oral solution in 1 pint of water.
Administer 1 oz per 100 lbs.
Prevention of coccidiosis
Amprolium (Corid)
Source: http://old.cvm.msu.edu/extension/Rook/ROOKpdf/coccidia.PDF
*Rumensin® is extremely toxic to equines. Do not allow equines to consume any coccidiostats.

Drying off females
Plan ahead of time
Remove grain and protein from ration 1 to 2 weeks prior to weaning.
Remove good hay from ration several days prior to weaning.
Feed low quality hay or straw for several days after weaning.
Restrict water intake shortly before and after weaning(?)
Watch ewes for engorged udders and signs of mastitis.

What do you do after weaning with the lambs and kids? Take them to market or keep them for further feeding or grazing
There is no right answer!
Depends on your market
Depends on current and anticipated prices
Depends on your availability of feed or forage.
Depends upon your cost to put additional gain on lambs or kids.

What about the ewes and does?
Sell them if they have a physical problem, are getting too old, or are a poor producer.
If they are on the thin side, “fatten” them a bit before selling.
Keep the productive ones . . . and their offspring.

Thank you for your attention. Questions?
Susan Schoenian
sschoen@umd.edu
www.sheepandgoat.com
Small Ruminant Program

Weaning lambs and kids

by University of Maryland Extension Small Ruminant Program

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