Improving Lamb Growth with Creep Feeding

Rapid development of the rumen from the first few weeks of age allows young livestock to grow faster and convert pasture into growth from a younger age.

Compare creep feeding lambs to providing no additional supplement.

Lambs Per Feeder(Required)

When there is high quality and fast growing pastures, the maximum number of lambs per feeder is 200.

Period of Feeding (days)(Required)

It is common for lambs to be creep fed for 90 days.

Average Feed Consumption (g/head/day)(Required)

200g / day is a common ration when creep feeding lambs.

Cost of Feed per Tonne ($)(Required)

Enter the cost of your feed ration.

Investment in a Feeder ($)(Required)

Creep Panels are an additional cost per pair. Current pricing on feeders can be found on our Product Directory.

Lifespan of the Products (years)(Required)

Please enter a number from 1 to 30.

How long the product is expected to last. Maximum input is 30.

Filling and Labour Cost ($/tonne)(Required)

Costs include moving feeders, training stock, filling feeders and organising feed purchase.

Additional Daily Liveweight Gain (g)(Required)

Case studies show it is common for lambs to convert 4kg of feed into 1kg of liveweight gain from supplement.

Liveweight Value ($/kg)(Required)

Enter the value you expect to receive for your stock.

Total Amount of Feed Consumed (kg)

Total Cost of Feed Consumed ($)

Depreciation Cost ($/year)

Straight line depreciation over two-thirds the lifespan of the product with a $0 residual. Assumes the feeder is only used for this period each year.

Total Filling Cost ($/year)

Total Additional Weight Gain (kg)

Additional Income ($)

Total additional income (all the lambs on the feeder).

Additional Profit ($)

Additional profit gained through this feeding period.

Payback Period (months)

Number of months for the additional profit to exceed the investment in the product.

Email Address(Required)

Enter your email address to have a copy of these results sent to you.

The Benefits of Supplementing Lambs

Young lambs are born with inactive rumens. Proactively creep feeding helps transition their rumens to digest pasture at an earlier age, supporting faster growth. This enables lambs to reach target weights before pasture quality declines and reduces the number of stock needing finishing in higher-cost systems.

Research shows that supplementing 200 g/day can increase weaning weights by more than 50 g/day.

Our information sheet provides a brief overview and explains:

The importance of early rumen development for achieving maximum growth rates.
The science behind adding starch to the diet to stimulate butyric acid production.
How to quantify potential gains from creep feeding.

Additional Considerations Improving Lamb Growth with Creep Feeding

Farming operations are complex, and the following factors are not included in this calculator:

Earlier market readiness: Faster growth means young stock can reach target weights sooner, potentially allowing sales in earlier markets at a premium, or enabling lambing schedules to better match pasture growth, reducing supplementary feed costs.
Multi-purpose feeder use: Feeders are often used for other purposes throughout the year, lowering depreciation costs and increasing return on investment.
Reduced stress at weaning: A consistent ration before and after weaning reduces stress for ewes and lambs.
Feeder training: Lambs accustomed to feeders are easier to transition to finishing systems, whether on pasture or in a feedlot.

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