At Kaniksu Feeds, we pride ourselves in providing quality feed for our community and nothing makes us happier than seeing local kids utilize our feed for their 4-H and FFA projects. To be eligible for the Kaniksu Feeds Loyalty Award, participants must follow the feeding guidelines for their species. 

From birth to weaning, lambs should be introduced to hay as well as a type of lamb developer grain. At about 2 months old, lambs should have been weaned and should continue to be fed the same grain/hay ration. From spring weigh-in to fair weigh-in, lambs should be fed 100% Show Lamb. 

Do not provide and copper with your lamb’s ration. Sheep cannot handle copper like other animals and should not be fed any kind of feed containing copper – swine, goat and cattle feed are often high in copper and should always be avoided. 

For your lamb’s digestive system to work properly, lambs need some form of roughage (hay) with each feeding. A good quality, leafy alfalfa, about 1lb a day is sufficient. 1 lb of hay is roughly the size of a large basket ball. It’s important to monitor the amount of roughage fed in order to avoid “hay belly”. 

It is recommended that lambs are fed twice a day, increasing up to 3 or 4 times a day as fair approaches.  Never skip feeding, feed during the cooler parts of the day, and try to feed at the same time every day. 

When you purchase your lamb, calculate how much your lamb will need to gain from time of purchase to final weigh-in. Lambs typically need to eat between 2lbs and 5lbs of grain for every 3/4 to 1lb of gain. On average, a lamb will gain between .6lb and .8lb a day. The highest rate of gain will occur during the first 6-8 weeks that you have your lamb. It is important to push this gain, as it will be harder for your lamb to gain weight as it gets older. 

At 60-80lbs, your lamb should be fed 1-2lbs of grain and 1.3 lbs of hay for a .65lb daily rate of gain. 

From 80-110lbs your lamb should be consuming approximately 2.9 lbs of grain and approximately 1lb of hay per day for a gain of .6-.7lb per day.

From 110-135lbs or more, your lamb should still be at about 1lb of hay per day but consuming anywhere from 3-3.5lbs of grain every day. This will give your lamb .6-.7lb daily rate of gain. 

Be sure your lamb has access to clean fresh water always as well as adequate shelter from the elements. 

Management can play a crucial role in your lambs development and ability to gain weight. Consult your project leader for best management practices.

Information on Show Lamb