Guide me proper feeding plan for meat purposes with ingredients commonly available and their quantity to feed and right time to feed in details for lambs of age 6-8months
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lamb finishing ration 6 to 8 months concentrate feeding forage recommendations sheep extension
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site:extension.psu.edu lamb finishing feed concentrate percent body weight hay
For 6 to 8-month-old lambs raised for meat, use a gradual high-energy finishing ration with clean roughage, a protein source, minerals, and unlimited water. The plan below suits lambs around 25 to 35 kg live weight and can be used for about 60 to 90 days before sale.
Do not switch suddenly to grain feeding. Rapid grain increases can cause acidosis, bloat, diarrhea, lameness, or sudden deaths.
Daily feeding target per lamb
| Lamb weight | Concentrate mix/day | Green fodder or hay/day | Total feeding schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-25 kg | 500-700 g | 0.5-1.0 kg green fodder, or 250-350 g dry hay | Build up slowly |
| 25-30 kg | 700-900 g | 1.0-1.5 kg green fodder, or 300-400 g dry hay | Main finishing stage |
| 30-35 kg | 900 g-1.1 kg | 1.0-1.5 kg green fodder, or 350-500 g dry hay | Final finishing stage |
| Over 35 kg | 1.0-1.2 kg maximum | 1.0-1.5 kg green fodder, or 400-500 g dry hay | Adjust to body condition |
These quantities are per lamb per day. If your lambs are much smaller or larger, calculate concentrate at roughly 2.5 to 3.5% of live body weight daily, with some roughage always included.
Practical concentrate mixture
Use ingredients that are affordable and commonly available locally. Make this mix in a 100 kg batch:
| Ingredient | Quantity in 100 kg mix | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Crushed maize/corn, barley, sorghum, or broken wheat | 40 kg | Main energy |
| Wheat bran, rice bran, or de-oiled rice bran | 25 kg | Energy and digestible fibre |
| Groundnut cake, soybean meal/cake, cottonseed cake, sunflower cake, or rapeseed/mustard cake | 20 kg | Protein for muscle growth |
| Pulses chuni / gram husk / lentil chuni | 10 kg | Protein and fibre |
| Molasses, if available | 2 kg | Improves taste and reduces dust |
| Sheep mineral mixture | 2 kg | Minerals and trace elements |
| Salt | 1 kg | Sodium and appetite |
Important: Buy a mineral mix specifically labelled for sheep. Sheep can be harmed by excessive copper, so do not blindly use cattle mineral mixture.
If only a few ingredients are available
A simple useful mix is:
- Crushed maize or barley: 50 kg
- Wheat/rice bran: 25 kg
- Groundnut cake or soybean meal: 22 kg
- Sheep mineral mix: 2 kg
- Salt: 1 kg
Do not use moldy grain, rancid bran, wet cake, pesticide-treated seed, or spoiled kitchen waste.
Feeding time schedule
Morning, 7-8 AM
- Give half the day’s roughage first.
- 0.5 to 0.75 kg green fodder, or
- 150 to 250 g good dry hay
- After 30 to 60 minutes, give half of the concentrate ration.
- Example for a 30 kg lamb: 400 to 450 g concentrate.
Midday
- Fresh, clean water must be available.
- Provide grazing, browse, or a little extra green fodder if available.
- Keep animals shaded in hot weather.
Evening, 4-6 PM
- Give the remaining half of the concentrate.
- Example for a 30 kg lamb: another 400 to 450 g.
- Then give remaining green fodder or hay.
Feeding twice daily is better than giving the full grain ration at once. Finishing lambs need some effective fibre in the diet; very high grain feeding with too little roughage raises digestive risk. Penn State notes that excess hay can slow finishing, while extended high-grain feeding can also adversely affect meat quality, so a balanced approach is preferable (lamb quality guidance).
How to start the ration safely
For the first 14 days, increase concentrate gradually:
| Period | Concentrate/day for a 25-35 kg lamb | Roughage |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1-3 | 250-300 g | Free access to good hay/green fodder |
| Days 4-7 | 400-500 g | Continue roughage |
| Days 8-10 | 600-700 g | Continue roughage |
| Days 11-14 | 750-900 g | Continue roughage |
| After day 14 | 900 g-1.1 kg, according to weight and condition | Do not remove roughage |
If droppings become loose, lambs stop chewing cud, look dull, develop bloat, or go off feed, reduce concentrate immediately, offer hay and water, and contact a veterinarian or livestock extension worker.
Fodder options
Choose one or combine them:
- Green fodder: napier grass, maize fodder, sorghum fodder, oat fodder, lucerne/alfalfa, cowpea, berseem, local grasses, tree leaves known to be safe for sheep.
- Dry roughage: clean grass hay, lucerne hay, groundnut haulms, cowpea hay, dried maize stover chopped finely.
- Pasture: useful, but do not rely on poor pasture alone if fast meat gain is your aim.
Avoid giving large amounts of lush legumes suddenly, especially when hungry, because bloat can occur. Do not feed unknown weeds or “meadow hay” of uncertain composition; forage quality varies substantially (Penn State flock-feeding guidance).
Water, salt, and management
- Provide unlimited clean water all day. A growing lamb commonly drinks about 2 to 5 L/day, more in hot weather or on dry feed.
- Keep a sheep-safe mineral/salt source available, or mix mineral and salt accurately in the concentrate.
- Feed in clean troughs, not on muddy ground.
- Give enough trough space so timid lambs can eat. Aim for about 30-40 cm trough space per lamb when feeding at the same time.
- Separate very small, sick, lame, or bullied lambs.
- Deworm and vaccinate according to your local veterinary program. Parasites can make a good feed ration unprofitable.
Expected result
With healthy lambs, sound management, and a properly introduced concentrate ration, a practical target is roughly 150 to 250 g live-weight gain per lamb daily. Actual gain depends on breed, sex, starting weight, parasite burden, heat stress, forage quality, and feed quality.
Market lambs based on desired finish rather than age alone. Carcass fat cover matters, and lambs commonly sell best when adequately but not excessively finished (Penn State market-lamb guidance).
Before sale or slaughter
- During the last 7-10 days, keep the ration stable. Do not suddenly increase grain trying to add weight.
- Maintain water access.
- For slaughter, withhold feed for around 12 hours, but do not withhold water, to reduce gut fill and contamination risk (pre-slaughter feeding advice).
If you tell me your country/location, lamb breed, current average body weight, and available ingredients, I can turn this into an exact low-cost ration in kilograms for your flock.
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