Weaning Lambs and Kids

submitted by 

Emily Herring- Livestock Agent, Pender County ,Adapted from Susan Schoenian, Weaning Primer http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/weaning.html

           

     Weaning is the act of taking milk away from an animal’s diet and is replaced by another form of feed that will become its main source of nutrition.  A producer decides on whether to wean early which is less than 90 days or late which is longer than 90 days.  Early or late weaning, either way, weaning is an important part of any farmer’s management plan.  There is no magic time to wean, therefore weaning needs to be based on the circumstances and production system that is in place on the farm.  The factors to consider  when weaning is age, breeding season, parasite problems, the market, facilities, labor, and forage ability on the farm.   It is better to wean kids when they are 2 to 2.5 times their birth weight, and lambs when they are 2.5 to 3 times their birth weight. 

Late weaning is also referred to as the doe or ewe weaning the young naturally.    An operation that is only kidding once a year with the lack of labor being a major problem then late weaning maybe the best option to employ for that farm.  The lambs and kids will continue to keep nursing until the doe or ewe’s body slows down production of milk and then that forces the young to go elsewhere to find food to forage on.  When the lambs/kids stop nursing then the doe/ewe will stop producing milk. The longer the kid/lamb is on the doe/ewe then in general the poorer the body condition of that mother will become over time due to the extra work she has to do maintain herself and a large, growing lamb/kid.   The risk of mastitis is much less.  Late weaning usually allows producers to take advantage of their forage to finish their lambs and kids. Pasture is the cheapest form of feed much more economical than hay and grain diets.  Management is simpler, as females and offspring can be maintained in a single group for a longer period of time.  But there is an increased risk of infection of parasites to the kids/lambs and more of an increased competition for forages between the older mothers and their young.

Early weaning is a desired management practice for producers who are in the sheep and/or goats as a business with breeds who have a high genetic potential for growth.  It takes the burden off of high-producing females making them less stressed and helps them return to a more ideal body condition for breeding sooner.  It has been noted there is less risk of parasites when lambs/kids are weaned early and fed in a dry lot.  When considering your pocket book, it is less expensive to feed lambs/kids than the dams with their offspring if you have to feed grain and hay. There is a greater risk of mastitis in the dams because they may still be in peak milking production time.  Early weaning causes a higher stress level in both the young as well as he dams and requires a higher level of management from the farmer.  Lambs and kids weaned early are usually finished on hay and or grain diets and are normally creep fed. 

  Weaning is a stressful time for the animals; therefore, take special care to make the process easier for them.  Creep feeding is a suggested practice to help reduce the stress level in the kids/lambs when they are weaned early.  When weaning, keep the young within their groups in familiar surroundings to reduce their stress and remove the dams.  Be sure not to change the diets of the young two weeks before or after weaning, this would upset their system and allow the incidence of disease to set in quicker when weaning.  Cocciodiostats should be given to the kids/lambs in their feed, mineral, or water before and after weaning because coccidoiosis is a serious concern for the young during this stressful time.  If the lambs are weaned early, their first vaccination for overeating disease and tetanus  (CD-T) should be given two weeks before weaning and then again four weeks after the first initial vaccine.  Early weaned does/ewes should be fed lower quality feeds and forages to help decrease her milking production before weaning time.  This helps her prevent mastitis and it is a huge no-no to allow newly weaned mothers to graze or have access to a beautiful lush pasture, this increases their risk of getting mastitis in their udder.