Maximizing Growth and Efficiency: The Benefits of Creep Feeding for Lambs

Creep feed is one of the tools that can simplify the processes surrounding female animals on the farm. Firstly, it relieves a lot of the pressure on the ewe because the lamb is less dependent on milk and does not want to suckle all the time. Secondly, the lamb ingests dry matter, which fills the rumen and supplements any nutritional deficiencies. Ewes recover faster after lambing as they lose less body mass. Their ability to reconceive is also better. This improves lambing percentages on the farm.

A lamb is, in fact, monogastric until its rumen has developed to the extent where it can digest roughage. Creep feed also promotes rumen development, and volatile fatty acid production takes place in the large intestine (rumen), which stimulates the development of the papillae. This is beneficial for the lamb because it increases the surface area for absorption in the rumen. A better-developed rumen increases the animal’s resistance against weaning shock and ensures better weight gain. Because the rumen develops earlier, the lamb can be weaned sooner, and it also benefits the lamb when it goes to the feedlot or to the replacement herd as it adapts faster and performs better.

Advantages of creep feeding:
1. Increased average daily gain leads to higher weaning weights.
2. Higher weaning weights allow earlier weaning of lambs if needed.
3. Lower weaning age results in higher stocking rates (more animals per hectare).
4. Reduced weaning stress
5. Lower coccidiosis due to coccidiostats (ionophores) in creep feed.
6. Improved rumen development enhances feedlot performance.
7. Better ewe body condition increases conception rates.
8. Reduced lick intake of the ewe
9. Enhanced meat quality due to improved marbling.
10. Decrease in variety weights between single lambs and twins/triplets
 
When to start with creep feeding:
Creep feeding should be started as soon as possible after lambing. A young lamb's rumen only begins to function when it is introduced to solid food. The reason why it is started so early is because the lamb takes a while to get used to the creep pen and to learn to eat the creep feed. The sooner the lamb is exposed, the sooner the lamb learns to eat it, and the sooner its rumen begins to develop. Where lambs are reared manually, we start to supply additional feed on the second or third day after birth. The creep feed intake will initially be low, but the main objective is to keep the creep feed fresh and to feed it regularly to improve intakes.

Where to place the feeders:
To ensure a good response with creep feeding, there must be adequate feeding space. If there is insufficient feeding space, a large percentage of the lambs will not have access to the creep feed, and only the dominant lambs will eat. The recommended feeding space is 10 cm/animal, with the absolute minimum of 5 cm.

The creep pens must be placed in such a way that the lambs have easy access to them, for example, at water points, feeding troughs and/or where the ewes sleep. The creep feeder, without the creep gate(s), is initially used for the ewes’ lick supplement, as soon as the lambs start eating with the ewes, the lick is replaced with the creep feed and the creep gates are put back so that only the lambs have access to the creep feed. The lick troughs of the ewes must be placed close to the creep feeder. Another technique to get the lambs to increase intake is to put a shade net over the pen; the lambs prefer to be in the shade, and this will lure them into the creep pen.

The effect of the environment on the success of creep feeding:
Milk production from ewes reaches a peak approximately 3-4 weeks after lambing and then levels off evenly thereafter. A lamb’s growth up to approximately four weeks of age is, therefore, directly dependent on the milk production of the ewe. As the milk production capacity of the ewe decreases, the lamb becomes increasingly dependent on pasture, and consequently, the availability and quality of the pasture will directly affect the lamb’s growth.

The quality of the pasture will influence the ewes’ milk and will also affect the lamb once he starts to graze. In years with lower-quality pastures, creep feeding will have a bigger effect on the performance of the lamb than in years with high-quality pastures. The return on investment of creep feeding will differ from year to year.

We must keep in mind that creep feeding does not only help with weight gain but has many other benefits that are, in most cases, more difficult to put a return on investment on. It is, therefore, recommended that you always creep-feed your lambs.

Bladder stones in lambs:
Young ram lambs can be highly susceptible to bladder stones. These stones form when minerals in the urine crystallize, leading to blockages in the urinary tract. If left untreated, bladder stones can cause severe pain, bladder rupture, and even death. Bladder stones form when there is an imbalance in the mineral content of the feed or when water intake is inadequate. The inadequate water consumption leads to concentrated urine, promoting stone formation. To prevent bladder stones, we must increase water intake, make sure the mineral balance (especially calcium, phosphate and magnesium) is correct and add ammonium chloride to the feed to lower the urine pH.

Can stud farmers use creep feeding?
As long as the group stays contemporary (all animals are treated the same), stud farmers can use creep feeding as a useful tool to make sure they reach the full genetic potential of their animals. Creep feeding will not affect the animal’s performance data or hide unwanted traits if all animals are treated the same.

The De Heus product to use as creep feed:
The feed efficiency of a lamb decreases with age; it is, therefore, important to capitalize on the feed efficiency while the lamb is young. RumiComplete Ewe & Lamb Creep (V24945) is De Heus’s flagship product for creep feeding lambs, as we aim to provide the best nutritional value during the most critical developmental stage of a lamb’s life. The product is highly digestible and very palatable to stimulate intake.

RumiComplete Ewe & Lamb Creep (V24945) is a complete pelleted feed with 17% crude protein, no urea and a high mineral content. When the product is given ad lib as a creep feed, we expect intakes of 25-35kg, depending on the management of the creep feeding system and the age of weaning. The product is also ideal to be used from 6 weeks before lambing, in lambing pens or camps and after lambing to increase milk production.

Creep feeding is a highly effective practice that enhances lamb growth, reduces weaning stress, and improves overall production efficiency. By implementing a well-balanced creep feeding program, producers can ensure healthier, more productive lambs that reach market weight faster, ultimately increasing profitability.

If you want to learn more about creep feeding for lambs, please contact a De Heus technical advisor for expert guidance - https://www.deheus.co.za/meet-our-team/.