Digestibility of milk replacers key to successful lamb rearing

A recent farmer survey showed that 55% of sheep producers expect to artificially rear up to 5% of lambs born, with another 14% of farmers anticipating this number will increase to up to 10% of all lambs. Major contributors to the number of these lambs are orphans and lambs from ewes with poor milk supply, with a proportion being from triplets.

Managing successful artificial rearing must be a priority as achieving 5-10% more lamb sales will have a big impact on the bottom line.

Milkivit Energized Lamb Milk is precisely formulated to fully supporting lamb performance and health is central for profitable artificial rearing, Trouw says. With high digestibility of energy and protein sources it helps minimise the risk of digestive upsets.

Newborn lambs have limited energy reserves, so Milkivit ELM provides sufficient energy in a highly digestible form to support survivability and body temperature maintenance as well as a robust immune system, while promoting high liveweight gains.

Protein digestibility is also important, and this is why Milkivit ELM contains 100% of protein from dairy sources.

To reduce digestive upsets Milkivit ELM is formulated for low osmolality which is a measure of the concentrations of sugars and minerals in the replacer. Lamb milk replacers with elevated osmolality either in the formulation or mixed in too concentrated a form can damage gut integrity, increase the risk of scours and compromise future growth rates.

By investing in a milk replacer formulated for high digestibility you can ensure lambs get the nutrients they require for good health and performance and help them get as good a start in life as possible.