Lamb Nutrition and Feeding

In most cases, farm flock operations in Iowa feed lambs from birth to market. The primary objective is to maximize rate of gain to get lambs to market as early as possible. Additional benefits of this strategy are improved feed efficiency and lower fixed costs. This goal, however, of maximum gain may no longer be the most desirable since the lamb market of late does not seem to be following historical averages with peak prices around Easter and high prices in May and June followed by falling prices through the remainder of the year. One must evaluate the most desirable marketing date and lambing season to determine the best method of feeding the lamb crop

Sheep Research Flock

The McNay sheep research flock was established in 1989 when the flock was relocated from the Beaconsfield research farm. Currently, the flock is composed of 200 white-faced, prolific crossbred ewes. Past work has demonstrated the management needed for an intensive lambing schedule with commercial flocks in Iowa. This flock accomplished over 70% accelerated lambing. One area of research that dramatically improved spring conception rates was light priming of the rams during the four months prior to breeding

Feeding Ewes Better for Increased Production and Profit

Sheep nutrition and feeding is extremely critical to the success or failure of the ewe flock enterprise. As shepherds our task is to provide balanced rations to the ewes that meets their nutrient requirements on the least costly basis. Feed costs account for half the cost of producing lamb and wool. Therefore, cost control must always be foremost in the shepherd’s mind. Sheep enterprises face a greater challenge in meeting needs of the flock because of the large within flock and between flock variation. This factor is best demonstrated by the requirements of ewes nursing singles, twins or triplets listed in table 1. This paper reflects the general guidelines for feeding ewes; however, each operation must adapt and modify these guidelines for their specific operation

Using Co-Products from the Corn Milling Industry in Sheep Rations

Over the last 18 months, the State of Iowa has experienced an explosion in the corn milling industry. The majority of this activity is with cooperatively owned and operated small to medium sized ethanol plants. The most important factor when evaluating co-products for use in sheep rations is what specific product one is considering using

Evaluation of Low Test Weight Corn for Finishing Lambs

The floods of 1993 caused the corn crop to be low in test weight. The following study was conducted to determine the relative feeding value of low test weight corn. The ability to feed this discounted corn to lambs could be a means of adding extra value to the discounted crop and lower the cost of lamb gain. Performance parameters indicated that low test weight corn was of equal value to normal test weight corn

McNay Sheep Flock Production Parameters

The McNay ewe flock was moved from Beaconsfield to the McNay Research Farm in the fall of 1989. The flock has served as a resource for applied management and nutrition studies along with disease research. The flock is also used as a resource for producer education and to demonstrate proper midwestern production systems that can be applied to Iowa operations

Johne’s Disease Status of the McNay Sheep Flock

Johne’s disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) results in chronic weight loss and eventual death in sheep as well as in other ruminants. The disease has spread throughout the U.S.sheep flock, and it is estimated that 10% or possibly more of the flocks in the U.S. are infected. Sheep can be infected and spread the organism for years before succumbing to the disease. Current diagnostic tests are unable to detect animals in the early stages of infection, and because there is a lack of “known negative” sheep in production settings, the development and subsequent validation of new diagnostic tests are hindered. The objective of this report is to describe the process the McNay flock went through to ensure researchers that this population was not infected with MAP

Distillers Dried Grains (DDG) feeding and impacts on meat quality for grazing steers

This study suggests that pasture-reared cattle, when given access to soyhull/DDG self-fed by-products, exhibit excellent responses on both live performance and carcass traits, including CLA fatty acid levels