Basic Show Lamb Information
Basic Information For Show Lamb Projects
Equipment needed:
Lamb halter poly rope or nylon. Need this when you pick up lamb.
Feeder: can be homemade or store bought , needs to be where you can change height as lamb grows. Some people feed on a ramp that elevate the front end of the lamb. This is ok if you want to try it.
Water bucket: I recommend a plastic five gallon bucket because the water needs to be changed and bucket cleaned regularly.
Washing supplies: brush and soap (liquid dish washing detergent is fine. ex; Joy)Lambs will need to be washed prior to shearing and showing.
Lamb tube or sock: to put on lambs after washing and shearing and for use at shows to keep lamb clean.
Muzzle: cloth or nylon mesh is preferred. Use these at shows that bed on shavings to keep lambs from eating the wood shavings and when lambs are penned together or tied to keep them from chewing on halters and each other.
FEEDING
Feed: you need to feed a good quality show lamb feed. Most major brands and feed stores have a show lamb feed. Ex. Acco, Purina, Nutrena, HiPro, Fast Forward, and others . Most are from 15% - 18% protein.
Lambs should be fed NO MORE than 4 lbs. per day. The amount will vary depending on the condition of lamb. (cold , wet winter we may feed more than 4 lbs., but not usually)
The feed needs to be split between 2 feedings daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. You need to weigh the feed to make sure you are feeding the right amount, DON’T GUESS. If you cannot weigh the feed, get a 1 lb. size coffee can. This is pretty close to a pound on textured feed and a little more on pellets ,but close enough.
Try to feed around the same time every day.
WATER: make sure lambs have plenty of clean, fresh water available at all times. Change water at least every other day and clean and scrub bucket once a week. (we may ration water close to show time to help remove bellied out appearance, but not before)
WORMING: lambs need to be wormed every 21 to 30 days. Best to alternate between wormers. Some easy wormers to use are: Safeguard Paste (usually labeled for horses), TBZ bolus (big pills), Tramisol bolus, Ivomec. Amount to use is based on animal’s weight.
WORKING WITH AND TRAINING LAMB: you MUST train your lamb to brace and show properly. This is just as important as the feed and management.