Artificially rearing lambs – the key points

Having a system in place to deal with surplus or orphan lambs is a must on many farms at this time of the year. On this episode of OviCast, Ciarán Lynch discusses this in more detail with Michael Gottstein Head of Sheep in Teagasc. Michael outlines the various options for artificially rearing lambs indicating the pros and cons of each. They discuss training lambs onto feeders, batching according to age and group size. As these are high cost systems, Michael outlines the weaning process, emphasising its importance in keeping the cost of the system down. He also discusses the introduction of concentrate and provision of a fibre source and fresh water and finishes up highlighting the importance of hygiene and identifying poor performers and managing them separately. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast