Continually monitoring fat deposition will be essential in developing the ideal show lamb. Knowing how your lamb responds to a combination of feed and exercise will determine the outcome of this feeding and exercise regimen.
If lambs continue to be over-conditioned and soft-handling, one may consider decreasing the feed intake and increasing the amount of exercise. If lambs are losing too much condition, one needs to consider decreasing the exercise and increasing the amount of feed.
If the condition of the lamb is not continually monitored , lambs will either "wash out" or become over-conditioned. Not all lambs respond to exercise and feeding programs in the same manner so each lamb needs to be monitored individually on a daily basis. The ultimate goal of a feeding and exercise program is to have your animal handling the best that it can on show day. A term used to describe this is "being at 12:00 o'clock".
Common mistakes in exercising lambs:
- The biggest mistake in exercising lambs is to exercise them before they have enough condition on them.
- Exercising lambs for too long a period will actually tear down muscle, rather than build muscle. A 350 to 450 yard sprint is plenty. The goal of a lamb exercising program is to produce adrenaline and get the adrenaline running through the lamb's body. Adrenaline production encourages the development of muscle.
- Failing to keep the lamb replenished with fluid to allow for proper muscle development is a costly mistake. A lamb's muscle is made up of 70 to 80 percent muscle.
Keep in mind that exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. Consider the following when choosing a nutritional program for your lamb project:
- High quality ingredients
- Ingredients in the right ratio
- Locked formulas for consistency
Show-Rite--> Sheep Feeds are designed with the following ingredients:
- Soypass -- a by-pass protein that is high in quality for maximum muscle growth
- Fish meal and blood meal -- for fit, not fat, muscular lambs
- Vitamin E and selenium -- needed for fast growth and a healthy immune system
- Distillers grains -- high in B complex vitamins for increased appetite
- Linseed meal -- helps attain optimal muscle deposition
- Barley and oats -- an excellent supply of slow released energy and highly digestible fiber
- Cottonseed hulls -- to help increase rumen digestibility
- Bovatec® -- a drug that initially works as a coccidiostat, but then works to increase the rumen's digestible efficiency
- Ammonium chloride -- helps keep the urinary tract healthy (no water bellies or other related problems such as kidney stones)
