Weaning Primer - Maryland Small Ruminant Page

Wean by weight It is generally better to wean based on weight rather than age. A general recommendation is that lambs and kids not be weaned until they have achieved 2.5 to 3 times their birth weight. Artificially-reared lambs and kids should weigh at least 20 to 25 lbs. before being weaned. If lambs are being raised by their dams, they should weigh a minimum of 40 to 50 lbs. before being weaned. Even more important than weight is dry feed consumption, as weaned lambs and kids need to be consuming enough dry feed to support their maintenance and continued growth – in the absence of milk in their diet. Their feed consumption should be at least 1 percent of their body weight at the time of weaning. Creep feeding is an aspect of most early weaning programs.

There are many factors to consider when deciding at what age to wean lambs and/or kids. These include age, season of birth, potential parasite problems, predator risks, markets, labor, facilities, and forage resources. There are pros and cons to different weaning ages.

Early weaning Early weaning eases the lactation stress of high-producing females and other females that may be highly-stressed, due to their age or physical condition. It helps prolific females raise their offspring. Early weaning enables females to return to breeding condition earlier. There is usually less worm burden and predator risk associated with lambs and kids that are early weaned and fed in dry lot.

From an economic standpoint, it is less expensive to feed lambs and kids than to feed dams and their offspring. Young animals convert feed very efficiently. On the other hand, early weaning causes stress to both females and their offspring. There is a greater risk of mastitis with early weaning, as weaned females may still be producing significant milk . Early weaning usually requires more facilities, pasture fields, and pens. It requires a higher degree of management.

Early weaning is most commonly associated with early, winter, and shed lambing. After weaning, lambs and kids are usually finished on hay and/or grain diets. Early weaned lambs and kids are usually creep fed. Early weaning is probably best suited to prolific breeds and breeds that have high genetic potential for growth.

Early weaning is also associated with certain production systems and scenarios. In a dairy sheep enterprise, it is common to wean lambs when they are 30 to 35 days of age. Lambs and kids that are artificially-reared are usually weaned by the time they are 6 to 8 weeks of age. Show stock are usually weaned early, so that the offspring can be pushed for rapid growth.

Late weaning It goes without saying that late weaning is more natural. It is less stressful to lambs and kids. The risk of mastitis is much less. Late weaning usually allows producers to take advantage of available forage to finish their lambs and kids. Pasture gains are often more economical than those achieved on hay and grain diets.. Management is simpler, as females and offspring can be maintained in a single group for a longer period of time.