Feeding Market Lambs for Show

Providing proper nutrition to your market lamb is very important for that lamb to reach its full potential at the market lamb show. Making sure that the lamb receives appropriate protein, energy, and minerals allows the lamb to not only grow to reach market weight, but also ensures that the lamb develops muscle and reaches an appropriate fat cover for show day. Proper nutrition starts by selecting appropriate concentrates, roughages, and minerals for your lamb and providing high-quality water daily.

Concentrates

Concentrates is another name for grains. Most grain mixes range from 14%–18% protein, with many exhibitors feeding a 16% grain mix. Many grain mixes also add a fat source to provide additional energy for developing fat cover. Three to five percent fat is very common in commercial feeds. Start by feeding a small amount of grain, ½ to ¾ lb. per feeding two times per day, and over a week to ten days gradually increase the amount until the lamb consumes all the grain in 10–15 minutes. This varies by weight as explained in the table on the next page. Many commercial lamb feeds are a complete feed, which means that the grain mix also includes a fiber source for rumen development.

Additives in Concentrate Feeds

Commercial concentrate feeds often include two additives to maintain lamb health. The first additive is a coccidiostat that prevents coccidiosis, an internal parasite that causes diarrhea. If severe, coccidiosis can result in death. The feed label on commercial feeds intended to control coccidiosis will indicate that the feed is medicated with either bovatec or deccox. The second additive is ammonium chloride. Ammonium chloride is fed to prevent urinary calculi, which blocks the urethra in show wethers. When the urethra is fully blocked, the animal is unable to urinate. Urinary calculi can also result in the death of the animal.

Roughages

Most show animals are fed hay to provide the roughage portion of the diet. Lambs should receive a handful of hay each feeding to keep the protozoa in the rumen functioning well for digestion.

The goal with feeding hay is to prevent the rumen from becoming too acidic. This causes an issue called acidosis and acidosis can result in the animal eating less than desired. Some exhibitors will provide free choice access to baking soda to neutralize the acidic environment in the gut.

Water

Always provide clean and fresh water. Be sure to scrub water buckets on a regular basis to encourage water consumption. Poor-quality water or not enough water can affect feed intake. Reduced feed intake will in turn affect animal growth.

Vitamins and Minerals

Commercial feeds are formulated to meet the vitamin and mineral requirements of animals when fed as directed. Therefore, you do not need to provide additional minerals if you are feeding according to the label. However, some custom grain mixes do not include vitamins and minerals. In these cases, be sure to provide access to a high-quality salt and mineral mix formulated for sheep. Lambs are susceptible to copper toxicity so never provide feeds or mineral mixes formulated for other livestock species.

How Much Do I Feed?

Market lambs should consume 2.5%–3.0% of their body weight daily in dry matter. Dry matter is the amount of feed the animal should consume without any water in it. All feeds have a portion of their weight as water. Most feeds typically are 88%–90% dry matter. See the table provided to help you with feeding amounts at 2.5%–3.0% body weight. As the lamb reaches its appropriate market weight, feeds may need to be adjusted such that the lamb reaches or maintains desired fat cover.

For more information on feeding market lambs, contact your local 4-H educator or a livestock educator.

Prepared by Melanie Barkley, senior extension educator, livestock.