It is well established that by creep feeding Lambs concentrates increases lamb performance and reduces slaughter age on lambs. Lamb creep should be offered to lambs when they are 2 to 3 weeks old. They need to be taking in their own feed on top of the Ewes milk. Sward management can be difficult to maintain a pre grazing sward height in front of the Ewes and Lambs, lamb creep can fill this gap in dry matter intake. Some farmers leave it too late to begin offering lamb creep, and therefore do not achieve extra daily liveweight gain in order to get early finishing of lambs. The Feed Conversion Rate(FCR) of Lambs is highest the youngest they are, so they get the most value from feed earlier in life. The FCR of young lambs is 3.5:1 meaning for every 3.5kg of Dry Matter intake, they will gain 1kg in Liveweight. By post-weaning this will have stretched to a staggering 7:1 and it will keep falling. A daily live weight gain of lowland twin lambs is around 300g, but by offering creep feed this will climb to 350-400g per day. This allows lambs to be finished earlier before the market floods with grass fed lambs.

Liffey Mills Lamb Creep is a top quality 18% protein ration specifically designed for the new born lamb. It is packed with high levels of cooked ingredients such as flaked maize, soya bean and barley which are easily digested in the lamb’s stomach, giving the opportunity for advanced and rapid early growth, ideal for intensive production systems. This mix also contains a specialized pelleted intensive lamb mineral. The idea of the pellet is that the lamb will consume and utilize the mineral in full and so no waste will end up at the bottom of the trough. Contents of the mineral include ammonium chlorate and salt, this helps to prevent Urinary Calculi, (stone in the kidney), a problem associated with young ram lambs. For further information on any of the above please contact your Liffey Mills representative