GRAIN FEEDING OF LAMBS.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18874, 18 February 1933, Page 19 (Supplement)

GRAIN FEEDING OF LAMBS.

Experiments conducted at Lincoln College and on some of the Canterbury farms have demonstrated very clearly that iambs may be profitably fattened on grain without rape or turnips. In one instance, where the pastures had practically dried up, lambs were fattened on hay and wheat. Where there was a fresh green bite on the paddocks less than Jib per lamb per day of wheat finished them off in a few weeks. Lambs take more readily to wheat ahan they do to oats, and where both wheat and oats were fed the oats were scarcely touched. At present prices, howovCr, oats provide a much cheaper food, and even at prices considerably in advance of those ruling at present they have proved their,worth, when fed to lambs which were being fattened on rape or turnips. Difficulty is sometimes experienced in getting (lie lambs ,to start feeding on oals; but if the feeding boxes are raised on cross legs or trestles some 16 inches from the ground the lambs take to the oats much more readily. Several instances are known where the lambs, although practically starved m a yard, would scarcely touch the oats when fed in boxes on the ground, but as soon as the boxes were raised To tbe correct level the lambs took to the oals readily. A satisfactory feeder can be made by nailing two six by one boards together in a V shape; three by I nailed together in the shape of an N make suitable legs, and pieces of throe by two not less than three feet long are used for the base. A base less than three feet is of very little use, as otherwise Die boxes are. being continually overturned. it is advisable to put out small quantities of oals till the lambs take io them and increase the oals graduallj as ihe number of iambs which come to tiie boxes increases. When fed in conjunction with turnips or rape one bushel of oats per day is sufficient far 100 to 120 iambs. It Is usually found that when lambs are being fattened on a break of turnips they will thrive much better If run off on to a clean paddock of short, sweet grass, If the oat boxes are in the run-off paddock they can be filled before the lambs are put there and a quiet dog will hold the lambs at the boxes for a short time, so that all may get an equal share.