July 2016 Articles

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Creep Feeding

Creep Feeding: Some things to Think About Chelsey Ahrens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor – Specialty Livestock/Youth Education Specialist, University of Arkansas Creep feeding provides a way to supply extra nutrition to young kids and lambs while helping to facilitate weaning. It teaches young animals to eat and helps with rumen development. Creep Area Whether in a barn or out in the pasture, the creep area should be placed in a high traffic area. This allows the kids and lambs to be naturally attracted to it. The creep gate should have openings big enough for the kids and lambs to get through, but small enough that the smallest ewe or nanny cannot get through. Creep Ration Kids and lambs prefer a ration that is finely ground and has small particle sizes. As they get older, the particular size should increase. It is important for the ration to be palatable, fresh, and readily available. Some highly palatable rations include soybean meal and ground corn. Kids and lambs should be fed a high protein diet that can range from 14-18% crude protein. Urea should not be utilized as a protein source. Other things to consider Include a coccidiostat to help prevent disease. Contact your local veterinarian to discuss options. The calcium to phosphorus ratio should be 2:1 to help prevent urinary calculi in male kids and lambs. Kids and lambs are susceptible to enterotoxemia (overeating disease, Clostridium perfringens Type C and D). It is important to have a good vaccination protocol in place to help with prevention.