Teaching lambs to eat feed

[Hillfarmer18]

So frustrating every year trying to teach weaned lambs to eat feeding! Especially the hill stock hoggs, has anybody got any helpful tricks they’d like to share to reduce my suffering? Cheers

 

[hendrebc]

Put a cull ewe or two with them they will take it and teach the lambs. Or pet lambs that have had it when they were younger.

 

[Skintagain]

or some molassed ration

or some salty mineral to get them licking it first

 

[Green farmer]

Penn up the lambs for a few hours. Let them settle and then introduce a feed through with a shake of nuts. Worked very effective here this year, other then the few easycares that just stood on top of the trough whilst the rest just ate it.

 

[Guleesh]

troughs at head height (lambs head height)

 

[Y Fan Wen]

I have always thought that Welsh Mountain are the most difficult breed to get going.
I start them off with coarse mix rather than nuts and a pet lamb if I have one.
I have a Rumevite block in the pen as well. This is because their mums were still taking blocks with their lambs at foot the previous spring so the blocks are something familiar to them.

 

[Hillfarmer18]

Thanks for the replies, it’s more about the last handful that won’t touch it I’ve tried adding lick tubs and it did seem to help, I think penning them up with the feed, adding molasses and adding a rumavite block are things that I’ll have to try!

 

[aangus]

Thanks for the replies, it’s more about the last handful that won’t touch it I’ve tried adding lick tubs and it did seem to help, I think penning them up with the feed, adding molasses and adding a rumavite block are things that I’ll have to try!

Store market

 

[Hillfarmer18]

Store market

I’m always convinced selling the smaller end of hill lambs as stores is a waste of money I mean we have plenty silage and are usually worth a lot fat in the spring

 

[Paul86]

With the hill lambs here, when im training them to eat I run them in at night it, different groups at a time. Do it every night for a week or so and come the end of the week they will be waiting to get in at the gate in the evening. If you have a shed handy that is. Might be a few not eating but it won't be hard picking them out later.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Always get some blackie lambs that never do eat corn. Shear them come may and let the spring flush do it. I tried penning them and offering all sorts of feed too get them started (I've never known anything refuse soaked beet pulp! I could eat it myself!) but after a week of them existing on a nibble of hay I had too give in before they started dying!!

 

[Moors Lad]

Find a palatable nut (some are certainly better than others!) . A small paddock or a shed with CLEAN and FRESH feed for 3 or 4 hours a day for a week should see enough eating to teach the rest. I find they learn quicker while they`re still on good pasture and fit - don`t let them run off and then start . Sheep are very fussy eaters and certainly need very clean troughs when learning.

 

[livestock 1]

It’s hard going. Gathering lambs up to troughs and holding them to try to get them to eat on a daily basis. Some just refuse even when the rest are eating. It’s worse when it’s pissing down and the feed is getting wet. We always try to keep some clean ground and save some grass for what we call the non eaters. Pen them up and pull the few hundred lean/small ones off it can be a saviour. Just keep at it good luck

 

[Stw88]

I had some lambs nearly beat me last year. Got to February and they still weren’t eating after being chased up every day. Chased the handfull into a different field on there own. 4 days later they were coming running to the trough.

 

[Sharpy]

I had some lambs nearly beat me last year. Got to February and they still weren’t eating after being chased up every day. Chased the handfull into a different field on there own. 4 days later they were coming running to the trough.

Fear of bullying perhaps?

 

[livestock 1]

Fear of bullying perhaps?

Ignorant more like

 

[CollCrofter]

I just put some troughs down and scatter a bit of beet-pulp in them for weaned lambs, a few short quick blasts on the horn and a wee shout, they always get it eventually. It's only for training them to be a bit user friendly though, once they're older they won't get anything else bit most will still come to the call later in life. Another guy here who does feed sheep regularly locks them in the shed for a while and that works quicker for feeding but imo brings on other issues health wise. Might be wrong though!

I got a Logic Snacker about 4 years ago with the intention of feeding ewes through the winter but the only time I've used it (for sheep) was when I was training a field of hoggs, I had the snacker on while putting BP into the troughs until the point they didn't run away from the bike and realised Santa was coming and then one day switched to the snacker and started dropping right next to the troughs which worked well and made gathering so much easier further down the line