Reduce concentrate inputs in store lambs by 45% while maintaining DLWG with controlled supplementation
Wise Agriculture is the UK agent for Advantage Feeders (previously known as 3 in 1 Feeders). Learn about Advantage Feeders and see the full range here.
Sheep farmers looking to hit spring market premiums in store lambs and reduce supplement feed costs will benefit from controlled supplement feeding, says Gerard Roney of Advantage Feeders, formerly known as 3 in 1 Feeders.
“The most effective way to optimise both your lamb and homegrown forage performance is by little and often feeding a small amount of starch feed such as cereals or pellets throughout the day,” explains Mr Roney. “By controlling the intake of supplemented feed, rumen conditions are stabilised and microbes develop to improve digestion and feed utilisation.”
Working with a 3-way restriction system that controls the height, width and depth of where feed sits, farmers can control feed intakes and provide it in little and often quantities with Advantage Feeders.
“In a restricted setting, stock requires saliva on their tongue to lick the feed. Stock can only feed for about five minutes until their saliva dries up. They will then go graze for about an hour before repeating the process,” explains Mr Roney.
This method of controlled supplementation has been found in farm trials to decrease the consumption of growing grass by one-third, while maintaining growth rates, allowing for a stocking density increase by 50%. Increased rumen efficiency has also been shown to decrease supplementation intake by 33% when grazing dry pasture while maintaining growth rates.
In an Advantage Feeder farm trial, it was found that livestock grazing dry pasture require 45% less supplement through the controlled little and often system compared to trough feeding every second day. This way of controlled feeding offers sheep farmers an economical option for supplementing lambs for premium markets.
“Store lambs require around 3.5% of their body weight in dry matter per day, with forage requirements quickly increasing as they get bigger. The ability to maintain growth rates on fewer feed inputs gives producers a lot more management scope to increase stocking density and to make selling decisions based on market conditions and not forage availability,” says Mr Roney.
These efficiencies are achieved as a result of optimising rumen conditions for improved digestibility and feed utilisation. According to Mr Roney, the added supplement increases microbial populations and decreases rumen passage rate to increase the energy extracted from feed stuffs and lower forage intake – making it a better supplementation option for both economic and flock health benefits.
In an Advantage Feeder farm trial, it was found that livestock grazing dry pasture require 45% less supplement through the controlled little and often system compared to trough feeding every second day.
“Traditional supplementation methods such as ad-lib feeding or once a day feeding lead to overconsumption of high starch feed in a short amount of time, which throws off rumen pH and kills off rumen microbes. This can take 24 hours to stabilise and for microbes to rebuild and return to digesting pasture,” explains Mr Roney. “Best case scenario, there’s an unnecessary amount of feed consumed to fill the energy gap caused by the rumen not fully utilising forage. The worst case scenario is losing stock to acidosis.”
Strategic supplementation
While pasture is the cheapest form of feed on farms, quality will decline towards the end of the grazing months and over winter. Strategic supplementation will yield a ROI by stretching forage stocks and filling nutritional gaps.
“Along with providing additional energy to growing lambs to help hit finishing weights for early spring markets, controlled supplementation is going to support rumen function so poorer quality forages are more efficiently digested,” concludes Mr Roney.