Study of the growth rate of lambs as affected by ewe nutrition in early lactation

Abstract

Lamb production per acre on an intensive fat lamb farm is dependent upon: 1) Stocking rate 2) Level of production per ewe, which itself is governed by one or more of the following: (i) Twinning rate (ii) Barrenness (iii) Mortality rate (iv) Growth Rate of lambs. Factors which affect the growth of the younger animal are of great economic importance in animal production and this is particularly so in the case of the fat lamb enterprise where the aim is to produce fast growing lambs reaching the killing weight in the shortest possible time in order to increase the efficiency. The values of rapid lamb gains should not be ignored. It is recognized that the maintenance requirements of smaller lambs are greater per unit of body weight than for larger lambs and that a faster growing lamb is able to reach market weight at a lower maintenance cost. The present investigation was undertaken to determine to what extent poor feeding of ewes in early lactation was detrimental to milk production as measured by lamb growth and if there was any marked difference in the behaviour of single and twin lambs under these conditions.