Some feedlots have a series of five to nine different rations that are changed every two to three days to enable lambs to adapt to a high-concentrate finishing ration within 15 to 20 days. When lambs are fed with self-feeders, another set of management considerations are needed. Lambs can be penned up while the next higher concentrate ration is fed into the feeder. However, determining when lambs will be consuming the higher concentrate level is difficult. A more successful approach is to start lambs on feed by moving them to pens that have increasingly higher concentrate rations in the self-feeders.
Lambs are on full feed after four or five pen changes.
Energy level is one of the major factors used in finishing-lamb rations and is one of the most important. A 1973 study conducted at Colby, Kansas, evaluated concentrate level in lamb-finishing rations. The diet contained 17 percent crude protein on a dry-matter basis. Milo was used as the grain source. Feed efficiency improved as the concentrate level increased in the ration.