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Enterprise mixes
Livestock
Feedlotting prime lambs pays dividends
by
Anne Cullinan
and Nicole Baxter,
KONDININ GROUP
Farm information
Farmer
Location
Narrogin, Western Australia
Enterprise
Merino stud, commercial wool
production, wheat, barley and
lupins, lamb feedlot
Annual rainfall
350mm
O
Anne Cullinan
Cameron and Lisa, Lachlan
and Jacquie, Alan and
Heather White
The 8000-head Nepowie feedlot operated by the White family, Narrogin, Western Australia, incorporates
barley straw hay bales as a feed source but also as shelter for the lambs. Compost from the feedlot is
regularly pushed into mounds. The mounds not only provide warmth, but give the lambs something to
‘play on’. Cameron White has noticed the lambs tend to perform better when the feedlot paddocks include
objects for the lambs to jump on and climb over as they prevent the lambs from becoming bored
and unhappy.
perating a prime lamb feedlot in
conjunction with a commercial and stud
Merino breeding enterprise has paid dividends
for the White family, Narrogin, Western
Australia, with this year’s feedlotting enterprise
expected to return $53 per head net.
The net return is based on a contract price
of $3.40/kilogram.
The four-year-old 8000-head feedlot supplies
lambs to the Western Australian Prime Lamb
Alliance, which aims to have a throughput of
20,000 lambs during 2002.
Alliance sheep are required to have a
carcass weight of 18–28kg, be score two or
three ewes or wethers finished on feed rations
for the final 14 days before sale.
During 2001, the Whites finished 3200
lambs at a dressed weight of 21.5kg,
returning $65/head.
In terms of wool production, average lamb
wool growth is 164 grams/day.
This amounts to 3.5kg of wool/head over
130 days in the feedlot, worth $17.50/head.
Lambs enter the feedlot at about 7–8
months of age where they are fed for the first
100 days on 15 per cent grain, 75% silage and
10% straw, costing about $102 per tonne.
The lambs consume about 1.5kg per
head/day on this ration at a cost of about 16
cents per day.
Rations for the last 30 days include 40%
grain, 50% silage and 10% straw at a cost of
about $115/t. The sheep eat about 2kg/head
daily at a cost of 23 cents/head over the last
30 days.
Wether lambs and surplus ewes are turned
off after about 130–150 days. During 2002,
finished lambs will be turned off about every
two weeks at 45–50kg liveweight.
Cameron estimated the total cost per lamb
at $38, which takes into account feed, labour,
shearing, mulesing and all feedlot costs.
Although it costs $15/head less to run the
animals in the paddock, the feedlot allows the
land to be destocked to protect against soil
erosion or freed up for other purposes such as
running more ewes.
Finishing prime lambs
The Whites developed the feedlot to
support their commercial and stud Merino
sheep breeding enterprises.
The family’s decision to lot feed was
prompted after they shifted from running a
large wether flock to a ewe flock to increase
profit margins.
The feedlot appealed to the White brothers
because it freed up land for running more
ewes and helped to reduce paddock erosion.
The feedlot fits well with the White’s
cropping enterprise, making use of second
grade grain, surplus pasture and cereal straw.
Mating programme
The feedlot is viewed as an important farm
tool for commercial Merino lamb production.
It helps to fast-track breeding in the
family’s 3500-head stud and 8000-head
commercial ewe operation.
The feedlot is sometimes used as a
‘breeding site’ for ewe lambs.
Mating ewe lambs at eight months (or 40kg)
helps speed genetic gain in their flock because
earlier joining allows them to get three lambs
on the ground over two years (producing lambs
during July–August, October–November and
February).
FA R M I N G A H E A D
No. 128
August 2002
Earlier joining allows the Whites to identify
early maturing sheep and high-performance
lambs to improve flock productivity.
The Whites pregnancy test mated ewes 45
days after the rams are removed.
Ewes are culled if they fail to become
pregnant by the third mating.
Cameron said the breeding system
provided a quick way to develop a new
generation of sheep and speed progress
towards their breeding objective.
Feedlot design
The feedlot comprises 16 open plan
holding paddocks. Each paddock measures
about 0.125ha and holds about 500 lambs.
This allows 2.5 square metres/head.
The feedlot system lowers the maintenance
needs of the animals and with less energy
expenditure what they eat for maintenance
goes into production.
Silage pits
According to Lachlan, roughage is king.
He said supplement feed mixes were critical
for the sheep feedlot, as evidenced by
extensive on-farm silage pits.
The Whites started with rolled and
wrapped silage and progressed to baled hay
before establishing the silage pits, which
allowed material to be moved at low cost.
There are now five pits, with a capacity of
5000 tonnes. Although the pits are three
metres deep, Lachlan said another 1.5m
depth was required for ease of use and to
increase capacity to about 7000t. The silage is
layered within the pits and topcoated with
lime. The tops of the pits are sloped to drain
moisture.
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