1. science
2. biology
3. breeding

AUTUMN Sheep Newsletter 2015
IT’S ALL ABOUT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
This season Five Star had a record year for selling sheep, beef and lamb feed. Focusing on the lamb sales we understand that the dry
finish to spring forced many lamb producers to begin feeding earlier than they normally would have preferred. We also understand that
the good prices for lamb this season encouraged more producers to finish their lambs than usual. BUT we also like to think that because
we work pretty hard at getting it right that more farmers than ever are choosing Five Star to be their supplier of choice.
So what is it about Five Star that make us a wise decision?
Easier Lamb Induction to Feed.
At Five Star we have put plenty of work into making the introduction of lambs to feed so much simpler, so it makes it so much easier for
you on-farm. Almost every other system involves a time consuming, fiddly and often ineffective period of up to three weeks dribbling
out feed in the paddock to build up resistance to grain poisoning. Our system is a three day approach. Because we have got our
formulation and buffering correct, all we ask is that you move the lambs into the pen/paddock that you intend to finish the lambs. This
way they can familiarise themselves with the environment and the new social group, but most importantly fill up on the hay, straw,
pasture, crop or silage that is intended to be the other part of the diet. Once you have done this, we recommend immediate full feeding.
A Five Star fed lamb is well on its way to the supermarket when most are just getting started with the full ration.
Faster Growth Rates.
For years Five Star have been suggesting you budget 300 grams per day growth rate using our pellets, but anecdotal evidence from some
of our bigger clients who have an ability to measure growth rates suggest that we could be under selling ourselves. A review of 6
different feeding systems by the Sheep CRC reveal that of the experiments using common feeds, they found that they were flat out
getting over 200 grams per day. In a very good review of all the literature (Best practice for production feeding of lambs) that San Jolly
completed for the MLA she observed that “very few feeding systems achieved 250 grams per day.” Numerous industry groups set a
target of 300 grams as the standard the industry must strive to achieve. At Five Star we have just completed a feed trial where we
smashed the industry average AND the industry aspiration of 300 grams to achieve 340 grams with tail end lambs.
Safer Pellets:
The Victorian DEPI Website budget for Lamb finishing suggests budgeting 20 deaths per thousand. The NSW Department of Agriculture
budget for Lamb Finishing says expect between deaths and poor doers about 20 -50 per 1000 lambs. Gason & Wallace in a survey of
lamb producers suggested less than 5% deaths.
At Five Star Stockfeeds we have so far made enough feed this summer and autumn to feed over 150,000 lambs. We would never suggest
our clients don’t experience some problems, in fact they do from time to time. Acceptable industry losses of between 2 and 5% losses, if
improved upon, contribute directly to bottom line returns, and the results we are getting back from our clients indicate that this is being
achieved at or below 0.5%.
At Five Star Stockfeeds we are constantly striving for improvement, to give our customers the best outcomes.
There seems to be a lack of hard data relating to feedlot performance of lambs so, after discussions with Leigh Harry who runs a
large commercial feedlot, this season we have undertaken a full feeding trial.
We thank Leigh Harry for his cooperation in making this trial possible. Leigh will be one of the guest speakers at this forum. We
encourage you to consider coming along to hear more about the trial and the analysis of the results from it.
FIVE STAR / AUSTRALIAN LAMB COMPANY
& TRU-TEST FEEDING TRIAL
On March 4th, 2015 Five Star Stockfeeds in conjunction with Leigh Harry and the Australian Lamb Company commenced a trial at Leighs’
Lamb Feedlot (Manooka) near Mortlake. The trial was made possible by the assistance of Scott Davis from Tru-Test who helped us to
measure the lambs’ progress with electronic ear tags.
The objective of the trial was to compare two feeding systems using the same pellet but different management. Feedlotting lambs without
access to hay is something Leigh has been doing successfully for some time, but the big question was: how is it influencing growth rates
and feed conversion efficiency? The trial was designed to answer this question, with one trial group being fed hay ad-lib, the other fed no
hay throughout the trial.
One of the management decisions taken for both the hay group and the no hay group was to draft off the “poor performers“ from each
group and put them as a sub – group in their own pen for a period under the original feed regime, but hopefully with less competition. We
wanted to see if we reduced bullying, whether the “poor doers” would recover and then re-join the main group in ten days’ time.
To set the scene Leigh normally breeds and buys in lambs each year. The lambs in this trial were Leigh’s tail end that were backgrounded
on a summer crop with hay and some exposure to the pellets before entering the feedlot. About 600 lambs were weighed off, and
everything above 32 kg live weight was allowed to enter the feedlot. The weight range was between 32 kg and 42 kg on entry which,
given that the individual weights of lambs could be tracked, will allow us to track groups of lambs and form some conclusions.
After being sorted into two roughly similar groups, both groups were introduced to their respective pens. The pellet only group had two
rolls of hay that were not replaced and the control group had a constant supply of hay throughout the trial. We recorded every time the
feeders were filled up so that we know how many pellets were consumed by each group. This allowed us to investigate the economics and
feed intakes. Every ten days we weighed the lambs to record their growth rates.
For Five Star, the main objective was to check if lambs being fed our pellets would finish at the expected growth rate of 300 grams per day.
We also wanted to track intake based on a standard hay and pellet based diet to see if it came in close to the 1.2 -1.3 kg of pellets per day
we normally expect. However, with the electronic identification tags we were able to find out so much more.
The trial summary is provided as an insert to this newsletter.
FEEDING EWES AND LAMBS
IN A GREEN DROUGHT
Unfortunately, many areas are currently suffering from a green drought. A quick check of the CSIRO’s very handy website “Pastures From
Space” reveals that you have to go back to 2005 to find a more disappointing Autumn. Even if the Autumn break is just around the corner,
it doesn’t rain grass, and you may well find you need to supplementary feed your lambing ewes.
When supplementing ewes it is important to consider their size, condition score, stage of pregnancy or lactation and whether they are
carrying singles or multiple lambs.
Energy Requirements of the Ewe
Ewe weight
50 kg
60 kg
70 kg
Dry ewe
(MJME)
Early pregnancy
(MJME)
Mid pregnancy
(MJME)
Late pregnancy
(MJME)
Lactating
Single lamb
(MJME)
Lactating
Twin lambs
(MJME)
7.5
8
9.5
8
8.5
10.5
9 -10
10-11
11-12
11-14
12-15
14.5-17
17 – 21
19 – 21
21 - 24
19 – 22
21 – 24
24 – 27
Lactating
Triplet
Lambs
(MJME)
20 – 25
23 – 28
25 – 31
When in lactation, the ewe needs higher levels of energy early on in lactation for milk production, and then closer to the lower number as
she hits 50 days of milk production. Physical intake dictates that the ewe can only eat about 1.5 kg of dry matter, so even if it is good
quality feed – she can only eat around 16 MJME/day. The ewe’s intake will be further restricted if the feed is lower quality and higher fibre
(i.e. pasture hay) as the fibre content of the ration will dictate how much she can eat. The shortfall in energy will result in the ewe
mobilising body condition to try and maintain her milk production, and the poorer the feed quality, the faster the weight loss.
In order to avoid the loss in milk production and subsequent lamb losses, the only realistic option is to feed a concentrated form of energy
if you are lambing now and have minimal grass. Concentrates could include left over summer crop, whole grain or pellets.
Whole grain is a good source of energy, but isn’t a balanced source of nutrients for lambing ewes. There is also a risk of grain poisoning
with feeding whole grain.
Five Star Ewe and Lamb pellets contain a more moderate and safer form of energy for lambing ewes, as well as some extra protein for
milk production and the lambs at foot. They contain plenty of rumen buffering for the prevention of grain poisoning, and calcium for milk
production, vitamins and minerals for healthy ewes and lambs and the addition of Bovatec for the prevention of coccidiosis. We also
include a urinary acidifier to prevent urinary calculi.
Our Ewe and Lamb ration is available in a 4 mm pellet and also in a 8mm cube which is perfect for feeding on the ground if needed.
If you need some assistance or ideas on the best way to ensure your ewes and lambs are getting the right nutrition, please give us a call.
We are only too happy to assist.
BULK SHEEP
PRICE LIST
Effective: 9th June 2015 — landed price (within 200 km) exclusive of GST (prices are subject to change without notice).
Prices are quoted on 12—27 tonne loads. Smaller loads are also available—freight surcharge will apply.
Five Star Ewe and Lamb (7006):
Recommended for feeding to ewes heavy in lamb or with lambs at foot. Contains high
levels of minerals essential for gestating and lactating ewes, rumen buffering for prevention of acidosis and ammonium chloride to
prevent urinary calculi. Also contains Bovatec for prevention of coccidiosis.
$403.00 + GST ($378/tonne + GST paid in 7 days).
Five Star Lamb Grower (7000.1):
Recommended for feeding for growing and finishing lambs. High energy, high protein
ration contains essential vitamins and minerals for growing lambs. Contains rumen buffers and ammonium chloride for prevention of
acidosis and urinary calculi, and Agolin for palatability and good rumen function. Contains Bovatec.
$415.00 + GST ($390/tonne + GST paid in 7 days).
Five Star Premium Lamb Feedlot (7000.4):
A very similar product to our Lamb Grower, but contains extra rumen
buffering for feeding to growing and finishing lambs in a feedlot situation, or for those farmers who want an easy to use feedlot
ration with the protection of extra buffering. Also contains Diamond V, a yeast metabolite to help rumen adaptation and Bovatec for
increased feed conversion efficiency and prevention of coccidiosis.
$437.00 + GST ($412/tonne + GST paid in 7 days).
For more information, please contact our sales team:
Sales Manager: Iain MacPherson M: 0417 540 343
Sales/Nutrition: Jess Harmsworth M: 0448 931 100 Tim Huggins: 0467 677 066
Logistics Co-ordinator Ron Anderson: 0458 932 367
Custom mixes can be quoted separately. Credit applications must be completed before delivery.
“There cannot be a crisis next week, my schedule is already full.” ~ Henry A. Kissinger
“You know, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field”
~Dwight Eisenhower
“Eagles soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."~ Steven Wright
“"Every time you feel yourself being pulled into other people's drama, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys."
~ Polish Proverb
“I don't want yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs."~ Samuel Goldwyn
"
“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” ~ Laurence Peter