Weaning Lambs

A variety of methods can be used to wean lambs from their mothers. Most producers will wean between 60 and 90 days of age. Ewes whose lambs are weaned at 60 days will need special care to prevent mastitis, an inflammation of the udder. These ewes should be taken off grain a few days prior to weaning and should be switched to a lower quality hay. Once the lambs are taken away, you may also want to restrict water access for 24 hours. For ewes who lambs are weaned at close to 90 days of age, they should also be taken off grain and switched to the lower quality hay. Because their milk production has dropped significantly since the lambs were 60 days of age, restricting access to water is likely not necessary.

Fall Ewe Management

With the high price of feeds, now is a great time to pregnancy check ewes. You can then cull those open ewes prior to feeding them all winter. This not only saves you the cost of feeds, but also saves you the time and labor of feeding and other management tasks. If you local veterinarian has an ultra sound machine, they can do the pregnancy check for you. Another option is an instrument call preg-tone. And of course, you should use two marking colors on your ram during the breeding season. Use one color during the first 17 days and then switch to another color. If a large number of ewes are being remarked, you may need to switch to a more fertile ram.

Management in Late Pregnancy

During the last third of pregnancy, a ewe's nutritional demands increase. At this time they will need added protein and in particular added energy in their daily ration. A great way to provide this increased level of nutrition is to switch to a higher quality hay and add some type of grain. Often, shelled or cracked corn is the main supplier for energy in the ration. This will allow the ewe to adequately meeting the nutritional needs of the developing lambs. The added grain is also important for high quality colostrum production.