Lamb nutrition management Flashcards
(39 cards)
Name the 4 phases of lamb-kid nutrition
- Fetal - in the womb
- Neonatal - shortly after birth
- Nursing - suckling, pre-weaning,
- Growing/finishing - weaning to market or breeding
How long is sheep ewe pregnancy?
150 days
5 months
Most wool follicle development occurs in the ____ trimesters
2nd and 3rd trimesters
The majority of fetal growth occurs in the final ___days
60 days
__% of placental growth occurs by day __ of pregnancy.
90% day 90
What are the effects of under nutrition in late pregnancy?
- Low birth weights
- Reduced survival rate
- Poor growth rate during suckling period
- Lower weaning weights
- Reduced brown fat reserves - reduce survival
- Lower colostrum and milk yield
- Poorer maternal bond - can reduce survival
- Fewer secondary wool follicles - less wool production
- Risk of pregnancy toxemia (ketosis) - risk of losing mother and babies
What nutrients are especially important during late gestation?
- Selenium
- Vit E
- Calcium
Should high quality hay be saved for pregnancy or lactation?
Lactation
For how long does ewes/does produce colostrum?
First 24 hours only
Colostrum quality/quantity is affected by ..?
Late gestation nutrition
Antibodies in colostrum depend upon ..?
Antigens dam was exposed to in late pregnancy - naturally or via vaccination
What can be done if we do not have enough colostrum?
- Collect colostrum from ewes/does that have extra
- Colostrum from another female in flock/herd
- Colostrum from another sheep or goat farm with similar disease status
- Get cow colostrum from local dairy farm.
- Can store colostrum for up to a year in deep freeze - must use within 24 h after defreezing - warm frozen colostrum in warm water bath as to not denature proteins with extreme temperatures
What amount of colostrum must a lamb consume?
10% of their body weight
4 feedings in first 24 hours
Is bucket self-feeding or handfeeding better with orphan lambs?
bucket self-feeding
What determines the weaning of lambs ?
- Weight
- Amount of feed consumed
During the nursing period there is 3 options. Name and describe these nursing options
- No supplementation
- Supplement does/ewes
- Supplement lambs/kids
Define creep grazing
Creep grazing is where you allow lambs/kids access to better quality “cleaner” pasture while limiting ewes/does to lesser quality pasture.
What are the advantages of creep feeding?
- Increases growth performance
- Reduce weaning stress for early weaned lambs/kid
- Especially advantageous for twins/triplets where milk
production is a limiting factor. - Increase weaning weights
How much creep feed needs to be consumed to make it economical?
> 200 g per head per day
What are the requirements of a creep area?
- Creep gate big enough for lambs/kids to enter but too small for ewes/does to enter
- High traffic area
- Dry, well-bedded area
- A light will attract lambs/kids
- Large enough for all lambs/kids to be at one time
What are the requirements for the feeders of creep feed?
- Feeders that can’t be easily contaminated
- Feeders that are easy to clean
- Enough feeders to accommodate all the lambs/kids at one time
- Recommended feeder space is 5 cm per lamb
- Hay in a rack or manger
Describe the creep ration
- 20% crude protein
- Palatable
- Finely ground, small particle size
- Fresh; replace daily
- Offer free choice good quality hay
- Offer fresh water
What must we change in the creep feed as lambs/kids get older?
- Reduce protein level
- Switch to coarser feeds
- Add a coccidiostat to prevent coccidiosis
- Include ammonium chloride to prevent urinary calculi
- Gradually switch to the ration that the lamb/kids will be fed after weaning
Nutrient requirements of lambs/kids are based on ..?
- Species
- Age
- Sex
- Genetics
- Desired level of performance (ADG)
