WINTER BONUS MAGAZINE 2025

weaning of lambs if needed 3. Lower weaning age results in higher stocking rates (more animals per hectare) 4. Reduced weaning stress 5. Lower coccidiosis due to coccidiostats (ionophores) in creep feed 6. Improved rumen development enhances feedlot performance 7. Better ewe body condition increases conception rates 8. Reduced lick intake of the ewe 9. Enhanced meat quality due to improved marbling 10. Decrease in variety weights between single lambs and twins/triplets When to start with creep feeding: Creep feeding should be started as soon as possible after lambing. A young lamb’s rumen only begins to function when it is introduced to solid food. The reason why it is started so early is because the lamb takes a while to get used to the creep pen and to learn to eat the creep feed. The sooner the lamb is exposed, the sooner the lamb learns to eat it, and the sooner its rumen begins to develop. Where lambs are reared manually, we start to supply additional feed on the second or third day after birth. The creep feed intake will initially be low, but the main objective is to keep the creep feed fresh and to feed it regularly to improve intakes. Where to place the feeders: To ensure a good response with creep feeding, there must be adequate feeding space. If there is insufficient feeding space, a large percentage of the lambs will not have access to the creep feed, and only the dominant lambs will eat. The recommended feeding space is 10 cm/animal, with an absolute minimum of 5 cm. The creep pens must be placed in such a way that the lambs have easy access to them, for example at water points, feeding troughs, and/ or where the ewes sleep. The creep feeder without the creep gate(s) is initially used for the ewes’ lick supplement, but as soon as the lambs start eating with the ewes, the lick is replaced with the creep feed and the creep gates are put back so that only the lambs have access to the creep feed. The lick troughs of the ewes must be placed close to the creep feeder. Another technique to get the lambs to increase intake is to put a shade net over the pen; the lambs prefer to be in the shade and this will lure them into the creep pen. The effect of the environment on the success of creep feeding: Milk production from ewes reaches a peak approximately 3–4 weeks after lambing and then levels off evenly thereafter. A lamb’s growth up to approximately four weeks of age is, therefore, directly dependent on the milk production of the ewe. As the milk production capacity of the ewe decreases, the lamb becomes increasingly dependent on pasture, and consequently, the availability and quality of the pasture will directly affect the lamb’s growth. The quality of the pasture will influence the ewe’s milk and will also affect the lamb once it starts to graze. In years with lower quality pastures, creep feeding will have a bigger effect on the performance of the lamb than in years with high-quality pastures. The return on investment of creep feeding will differ from year to year. We must keep in mind that creep feeding does not only help with weight gain, but has many other benefits that are often more difficult to put a return on investment on. It is, therefore, recommended that you always creep feed your lambs. Bladder stones in lambs: Young ram lambs can be highly susceptible to bladder stones. These stones form when minerals in the urine crystallise, leading to Winter 2025 BONUS www.agribonus.co.za 68