Early Weaning Lambs: What the Massey Trials Found

Partitioning high-quality feed into lambs in the late spring, early summer period means more lambs can be sold prime before the height of summer- making more feed available for capital stock – and ewe lambs can be grown out to heavier weights early. This means there is flexibility to hold them back later if feed resources are limited. 

Early weaning also means ewes can either be sold early on a strong schedule or given more time to regain body condition. 

Trials run at Massey University found lambs over 20kgLW coped best with early weaning (minimum weaning weight was 16kg LW), but it was the quality of the forages on offer that was the greatest determinant of how well lambs grew post-weaning. 

Professor Paul Kenyon, who led the early-weaning trials, says early-weaned lambs should be given unrestricted access to legume-based forages such as a herb clover mix at a minimum cover of seven centimetres in height. 

If lambs are weaned onto the crop, they should be given time to adjust to a change in feed. Running the ewe and lambs onto the crop a few days before weaning, then running the lambs back onto the crop after weaning will help minimise the weaning check.

He says in late lactation all lambs, but especially multiples, are receiving very little nutrition from the ewe, so when grass-growth is limited, the ewes are competing with their lambs for feed, compromising the performance of both. 

Early weaning can also be particularly useful in hoggets as it will give them more time to recover body condition between lambing and mating again as a two-tooth.

Key Management Factors

• Minimum weaning weight of 16 kgLW, provided suitable feed is available.
• Have a high quality, legume-based pasture for weaned lambs.
• Maintain legume crops above seven centimetres to allow unrestricted grazing.
• Early weaning can be a flexible management tool.
• Not all management options work on every farm. Adopt and adapt management strategies to fit your system.