How to fatten meat lambs? Practical methods and techniques explained
How to fatten meat lambs?
(Agricultural Wealth Network) How to fatten meat lambs?
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a. Composition of artificial milk: before 20 days of age: 68% skim milk, 29% fat, 3% phospholipids; from 20 to 40 days of age: 80% skim milk, 17% fat, 3% phospholipids; b. Additive content in artificial milk (per tonne): trace elements - cobalt chloride 1.2 g, copper sulfate 20 g, potassium iodide 0.3 g, sodium selenite 0.2 g; minerals - salt 10 kg, bicarbonate 5 kg; vitamin A 20 million units, B 6 million units, E 20,000 units, B1 1.5 g, B2 1.5 g, B6 750 mg, B12 50 mg, K 400 mg; synthetic amino acids - lysine 1 kg, methionine 2 kg; bioactive substances - chlortetracycline 50 g, santoquin 50 g, methylated hydroxytoluene 70 g.
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I. Inherent favorable factors in fat lamb meat production
1. Lamb meat contains more lean meat, less fat, low cholesterol content, and the meat is tender and juicy with little gamy odor,
and is easily digested and absorbed by the human body.
2. Lambs grow and develop quickly; from birth to 2 months of age, daily weight gain can reach 180-230 g, and from 2 months to 10
months of age it can reach 100-150 g. The feed conversion rate of fat lambs is also high, reaching 3-4:1, while that of adult sheep is 6-8:1.
3. Lambs utilize plant protein extremely efficiently, 0.5 to 1 times higher than adult sheep.
4. Raising fat lambs has a short production cycle, high product rate, and low cost.
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II. Implementing intensive, industrialized, and large-scale raising in lamb meat production can make full use of advanced
technology and experience in production.
1. Induced lambing in pregnant ewes. Induced lambing means that in late pregnancy (140 days), the ewe is injected intramuscularly with
corticosteroids - glucocorticosteroid 16 mg, and 12 hours later 70% of ewes give birth. This kind of lambing facilitates centralized
management, and also facilitates centralized estrus and mating of adult ewes.
2. Early weaning of lambs. Lambs are weaned early after birth, then dewormed, and force-fattened for 2 to 3
months. During the fattening period, activity and light should be reduced as much as possible. There are two methods for early weaning of lambs. a. At 3
to 4 days of age, then transfer to the dry feeding period; b. At 45 to 50 days of age, wean the lamb and immediately transfer to
the dry feeding period. Because colostrum is rich in protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins, especially
contains magnesium ions and various antibodies, it has a special effect on promoting the excretion of meconium and enhancing disease resistance.
3. Using artificial milk to raise lambs. a. Composition of artificial milk: before 20 days of age: 68% skim milk, 29% fat,
3% phospholipids; from 20 to 40 days of age: 80% skim milk, 17% fat, 3% phospholipids; b. Additive content in artificial
milk (per tonne): trace elements - cobalt chloride 1.2 g, copper sulfate 20 g, potassium iodide 0.3 g,
sodium selenite 0.2 g; minerals - salt 10 kg, bicarbonate 5 kg; vitamin A 20
million units, B 6 million units, E 20,000 units, B1 1.5 g, B2 1.5 g, B6 750 mg, B12 50
mg, K 400 mg; synthetic amino acids - lysine 1 kg, methionine 2 kg; bioactive substances
- chlortetracycline 50 g, santoquin 50 g, methylated hydroxytoluene 70 g.
4. Raising of fat lambs. After lambs are weaned at 56 days, each sheep is fed 5 kg to 5 kg of green grass and 0.5 kg of
concentrate. Twenty days after weaning, each sheep is fed 2.5 kg of mixed feed per day (80% dried grass meal, 20%
concentrate). The live weight of fat lambs increases from 37.4 kg to 47.2 kg, with an average daily gain of 173 g. Each
1 kg of weight gain requires the consumption of 8.2 kg of feed units.
Hungary uses large double-decker slatted-floor livestock houses to fatten lambs, and each house can hold 3,000 to 5,000
animals. The upper layer has slats to facilitate the fall of manure, and is equipped with scraper conveyor for delivering pelleted feed and a long-running water trough;
the lower layer is equipped with a scraper-type manure cleaner. Lambs are weaned at 60 to 120 days of age, and after 76 days of fattening, the daily
average weight gain reaches 230 g. After fattening, the body weight reaches 34 kg to 40 kg, and the slaughter rate is 47.6%. The Czech Republic
uses Merino and crossbred sheep for intensive fattening of lambs. Generally, newborn lambs are weaned after sucking mother's milk for 3 days,
and from the 4th day they are fed artificial milk. After 18 days, they are fed artificial milk and artificially cultivated pasture grass, or mixed concentrate plus
pasture grass, with intensive fattening until 82 days of age. The lamb body weight can reach 32 kg to 35 kg.
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III. Advanced technologies used in ewe reproduction. After lambs are weaned, hormones are used to control synchronized estrus in ewes
and superovulation, and insemination at the same time, so as to improve the conception rate of ewes and achieve concentrated lambing.
1. Synchronized estrus. Make ewes come into estrus synchronously within 1-2 days, which facilitates the organization of insemination, mating, and lamb
management. The method of inserting a sponge soaked in medicinal solution into the vagina is used, abbreviated as the vaginal sponge method. Take 150-300 mg of progesterone
and make a suspension with water, then soak it up with a sponge and insert it deep into the ewe's vagina. Remove it after 14 to 16 days,
and inject 500 units of pregnant mare serum on the same day. After 48 hours, mating occurs in estrus.
2. Superovulation. That is, using follicle-stimulating hormone to promote follicle development and maturation, then using luteinizing hormone to induce ovulation, abbreviated
as superovulation. Generally, a sponge soaked with 30 mg of norgestrel is placed into the ewe's vagina to induce estrus. Starting
from the 11th day, 50 units of follicle-stimulating hormone are injected intramuscularly for 3 consecutive days, totaling 150 units. On the 12th day, the
sponge is removed, and after 48 hours, 50 units of luteinizing hormone are injected intravenously, with the 1st insemination at the same time, and the
2nd insemination the next day. Artificial insemination generally uses the cervical insemination method.
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IV. Breeding new varieties and utilizing heterosis
1. Widely adopting economic crossbreeding and utilizing heterosis is the basic method for fat lamb production and is
the best way to develop mutton production. Generally, two-breed crossbreeding increases by 16.6% compared with purebreeding, and three-breed crossbreeding can
increase
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a. Composition of artificial milk: before 20 days of age: 68% skim milk, 29% fat, 3% phospholipids; from 20 to 40 days of age: 80% skim milk, 17% fat, 3% phospholipids; b. Additive content in artificial milk (per tonne): trace elements - cobalt chloride 1.2 g, copper sulfate 20 g, potassium iodide 0.3 g, sodium selenite 0.2 g; minerals - salt 10 kg, bicarbonate 5 kg; vitamin A 20 million units, B 6 million units, E 20,000 units, B1 1.5 g, B2 1.5 g, B6 750 mg, B12 50 mg, K 400 mg; synthetic amino acids - lysine 1 kg, methionine 2 kg; bioactive substances - chlortetracycline 50 g, santoquin 50 g, methylated hydroxytoluene 70 g.
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I. Inherent favorable factors in fat lamb meat production
1. Lamb meat contains more lean meat, less fat, low cholesterol content, and the meat is tender and juicy with little gamy odor,
and is easily digested and absorbed by the human body.
2. Lambs grow and develop quickly; from birth to 2 months of age, daily weight gain can reach 180-230 g, and from 2 months to 10
months of age it can reach 100-150 g. The feed conversion rate of fat lambs is also high, reaching 3-4:1, while that of adult sheep is 6-8:1.
3. Lambs utilize plant protein extremely efficiently, 0.5 to 1 times higher than adult sheep.
4. Raising fat lambs has a short production cycle, high product rate, and low cost.
--------------------------------------
II. Implementing intensive, industrialized, and large-scale raising in lamb meat production can make full use of advanced
technology and experience in production.
1. Induced lambing in pregnant ewes. Induced lambing means that in late pregnancy (140 days), the ewe is injected intramuscularly with
corticosteroids - glucocorticosteroid 16 mg, and 12 hours later 70% of ewes give birth. This kind of lambing facilitates centralized
management, and also facilitates centralized estrus and mating of adult ewes.
2. Early weaning of lambs. Lambs are weaned early after birth, then dewormed, and force-fattened for 2 to 3
months. During the fattening period, activity and light should be reduced as much as possible. There are two methods for early weaning of lambs. a. At 3
to 4 days of age, then transfer to the dry feeding period; b. At 45 to 50 days of age, wean the lamb and immediately transfer to
the dry feeding period. Because colostrum is rich in protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins, especially
contains magnesium ions and various antibodies, it has a special effect on promoting the excretion of meconium and enhancing disease resistance.
3. Using artificial milk to raise lambs. a. Composition of artificial milk: before 20 days of age: 68% skim milk, 29% fat,
3% phospholipids; from 20 to 40 days of age: 80% skim milk, 17% fat, 3% phospholipids; b. Additive content in artificial
milk (per tonne): trace elements - cobalt chloride 1.2 g, copper sulfate 20 g, potassium iodide 0.3 g,
sodium selenite 0.2 g; minerals - salt 10 kg, bicarbonate 5 kg; vitamin A 20
million units, B 6 million units, E 20,000 units, B1 1.5 g, B2 1.5 g, B6 750 mg, B12 50
mg, K 400 mg; synthetic amino acids - lysine 1 kg, methionine 2 kg; bioactive substances
- chlortetracycline 50 g, santoquin 50 g, methylated hydroxytoluene 70 g.
4. Raising of fat lambs. After lambs are weaned at 56 days, each sheep is fed 5 kg to 5 kg of green grass and 0.5 kg of
concentrate. Twenty days after weaning, each sheep is fed 2.5 kg of mixed feed per day (80% dried grass meal, 20%
concentrate). The live weight of fat lambs increases from 37.4 kg to 47.2 kg, with an average daily gain of 173 g. Each
1 kg of weight gain requires the consumption of 8.2 kg of feed units.
Hungary uses large double-decker slatted-floor livestock houses to fatten lambs, and each house can hold 3,000 to 5,000
animals. The upper layer has slats to facilitate the fall of manure, and is equipped with scraper conveyor for delivering pelleted feed and a long-running water trough;
the lower layer is equipped with a scraper-type manure cleaner. Lambs are weaned at 60 to 120 days of age, and after 76 days of fattening, the daily
average weight gain reaches 230 g. After fattening, the body weight reaches 34 kg to 40 kg, and the slaughter rate is 47.6%. The Czech Republic
uses Merino and crossbred sheep for intensive fattening of lambs. Generally, newborn lambs are weaned after sucking mother's milk for 3 days,
and from the 4th day they are fed artificial milk. After 18 days, they are fed artificial milk and artificially cultivated pasture grass, or mixed concentrate plus
pasture grass, with intensive fattening until 82 days of age. The lamb body weight can reach 32 kg to 35 kg.
--------------------------------------
III. Advanced technologies used in ewe reproduction. After lambs are weaned, hormones are used to control synchronized estrus in ewes
and superovulation, and insemination at the same time, so as to improve the conception rate of ewes and achieve concentrated lambing.
1. Synchronized estrus. Make ewes come into estrus synchronously within 1-2 days, which facilitates the organization of insemination, mating, and lamb
management. The method of inserting a sponge soaked in medicinal solution into the vagina is used, abbreviated as the vaginal sponge method. Take 150-300 mg of progesterone
and make a suspension with water, then soak it up with a sponge and insert it deep into the ewe's vagina. Remove it after 14 to 16 days,
and inject 500 units of pregnant mare serum on the same day. After 48 hours, mating occurs in estrus.
2. Superovulation. That is, using follicle-stimulating hormone to promote follicle development and maturation, then using luteinizing hormone to induce ovulation, abbreviated
as superovulation. Generally, a sponge soaked with 30 mg of norgestrel is placed into the ewe's vagina to induce estrus. Starting
from the 11th day, 50 units of follicle-stimulating hormone are injected intramuscularly for 3 consecutive days, totaling 150 units. On the 12th day, the
sponge is removed, and after 48 hours, 50 units of luteinizing hormone are injected intravenously, with the 1st insemination at the same time, and the
2nd insemination the next day. Artificial insemination generally uses the cervical insemination method.
--------------------------------------
IV. Breeding new varieties and utilizing heterosis
1. Widely adopting economic crossbreeding and utilizing heterosis is the basic method for fat lamb production and is
the best way to develop mutton production. Generally, two-breed crossbreeding increases by 16.6% compared with purebreeding, and three-breed crossbreeding can
increase