Lamlac ewe milk replacer can be fed whenever it is necessary to rear a lamb away from the ewe (i.e. for orphan or surplus lambs), but it is important to follow these ten fundamentals for best results.
1. Ideally, any lambs that are to be artificially reared should be removed from the ewe within 48 hours of birth.
2. As with all newborn lambs, the first priority is to disinfect their navels and ensure every surplus lamb receives sufficient colostrum (50ml/kg liveweight per feed and a minimum of 210ml/kg liveweight within the first 24 hours). This feed provides essential nutrition, as well as the important antibodies to help newborns fight off infections.
3. Whenever you start on a new batch of Lamlac ALWAYS re-check the weight of a scoop of milk powder and or re-calibrate your machine to ensure that the right concentration of milk is being fed.
4. Lamlac is designed to be a complete diet providing the lamb with all the energy and nutrients it needs. Mix 200g of Lamlac with water to make up one litre of mixed milk (20% concentration). i.e. 200g Lamlac + 800ml water = 1 litre of milk. Add Lamlac to one third of the required volume warm or cold water and mix thoroughly. Top up with fresh warm or cold water to give the final dilution and whisk lightly. Always re-close the Lamlac bag securely after use.
5. If feeding lambs via a thermostatically controlled bucket feeder or an automatic feeder, start them on warm milk (39°C) until trained. Training usually takes 1-3 days. Once lambs are trained allow then ad lib access to milk. Once lambs are sucking and drinking well the temperature can be reduced to 18-20°C. Bucket feeders and automatic machines should be cleaned daily and calibrated at least once a week, and between batches of milk powder.
6. Lambs reared artificially will also need constant access to fresh, clean water at a height that is accessible at all times. Top quality creep feed should also be readily available to lambs and be offered fresh at least once a day, with refusals being fed to older stock (e.g. ewes). Do not feed ad lib roughage though (e.g. hay) during milk feeding as this can depress creep feed intake and will delay weaning.
7. For optimum rearing results, don’t keep more than 25 lambs in a pen and keep similar ages and sized together. Lambs must also have access to a clean, dry straw-bedded lying area which is well ventilated but draught-free. Check your lambs at least twice a day.
8. Maintain scrupulous hygiene protocols. For example, all feeding equipment should be thoroughly cleaned each day and disinfected twice weekly.
9. Weaning is accomplished most successfully when Lamlac is withdrawn abruptly, provided lambs are old enough and the intake of solid food is adequate. The lamb should have been eating solid food for at least 10 days and be making use of the drinking water supply. Weaning from restricted feeding can also be done by gradually reducing the milk given over the last week. As a guide, lambs should be at least 2.5 times birth weight (9-10kg), consuming 250g per day solid feed and at least 35 days old for weaning to be successful.
10. Lamlac is also suitable for feeding to goats at a mixing rate of 150g per litre of mixed milk.
For further details please contact Volac.