There may come a stage when surplus lambs appear, and when they do, it leads to an increased workload. It’s not an ideal scenario and where cross-fostering can be carried out, it’s a good solution to this problem.
Although increasing litter size has been recognised as one of the key factors driving profitability on sheep farms, the higher levels of multiple births and the extra workload that brings (e.g. cross-fostering and rearing surplus lambs), are some of the reasons why farmers are not keen on driving prolificacy within their flocks.
When cross-fostering can’t take place, a plan for dealing with surplus lambs is needed.
Options for dealing with surplus lambs:
- Sell surplus lambs;
- Rear the lambs as triplets on their dam;
- Artificially rear surplus lambs.
Options for artificially rearing lambs:
If your plan is to rear the lambs artificially, then preparation is key. Before lambing begins, appropriate pre-lambing nutrition for ewes is critical, especially for those carrying three or more lambs.
One of the biggest factors influencing lamb survival is birth weight. Low birth weights, in particular lambs weighing below 3.5kg, are associated with high levels of mortality.
For triplet-bearing ewes, the target is to deliver the lambs with a birth weight of 4kg, in order to maximise the chances of survival and to ensure a good supply of colostrum. This is why appropriate nutrition pre-lambing is vital.
Once ewes lamb down, it’s important to get sufficient amounts of colostrum into the lambs. Then remove surplus lambs from the dam 24 hours after birth.
Options for artificially rearing lambs:
- Multi feeder buckets with four or six nipples or bottle racks which need to be filled three to four times daily. They are cheap to purchase and other than replacing worn teats, do not incur any running/maintenance costs;
- Ad-lib feeding using simple lamb feeding devices are effectively thermostat-controlled containers that hold between 20L and 50L of pre-mixed milk replacer. They can feed 20-25 lambs per unit;
- Automated lamb feeders which automatically mix milk replacer powder with warm water in small quantities as the lambs drink. The machines require a water supply and mains electricity. One unit can feed up to 240 lambs. The only snag is these units are quite costly.
Positives and negatives associated with different artificial feeding systems. Data source: Teagasc
Tips for rearing surplus lambs
The following guidelines should be carried out when artificially rearing lambs, according to Teagasc:
- Ensure lambs receive adequate colostrum;
- Remove surplus lambs from the ewe after 24 hours (maximum 48 hours);
- Supervise suckling for the first few days until the lambs are used to drinking themselves;
- Feed warm milk initially and then reduce the temperature of the milk as the lambs get older;
- Each lamb should be given a floor space of 0.6m²;
- Lambs should be grouped by similar sizes and no more than 25 in a group;
- Offer a fibre source, a clean supply of water and maintain good hygiene standards;
- Wean lambs when they reach a minimum of 14kg liveweight, at 35 days of age and are consuming 250g/day of concentrates.
A predominantly grass-based diet is the most profitable option with surplus lambs, when rearing them on their dam is not a feasible or desired option.