I have five lambs that need to be finished to make way for this year's new arrivals (starting in April). I'm going into my third year, so am still learning. Bear with me! My first year I didn't feed at all as I had 100% ewe lambs so they just stayed with their mums. This year 5 rams out of 6 lambs... so I had to separate. I didn't realise I needed to feed until probably too late in the season and so have to overwinter lambs that still need fattening before sending to the abattoir. Live and learn!
The lambs in question are 3 entire ram lambs, 2 wethers. Oldest around 10 months, youngest around 9 months. All poo checked/wormed, etc.
The lambs were in smaller paddocks safely away from the rest of the flock (i.e. boys away from girls, etc), but with all the rain, it was just a mud bath, and the grass took a hammering. It was hard to feed them out in the rain as any pellets not eaten immediately turned to sludge. So I brought them into the barn a few weeks ago where they have hay and pellet feed, to keep them cleaner and hopefully put on weight.
One of the entire males is ready to go (and booked into abattoir), the other four are still catching up. I was considering adding sugar beet pellets to their hard feed to help them put weight on as I'm told it's that weird time of year that they don't really put on any weight, despite feeding. I need to ensure they are gone before lambing starts in April.
My question is, will adding sugar beet pellets to their hard feed be a help or a hindrance? I get so much mixed info online. I just wondered what more experienced people do. Also, if you do feed it, does it need to be soaked? I keep seeing about bloat, etc. I bought some fodder beets but they are totally disinterested (adults out in the field are nibbling though).
My head is spinning with so much information.
Any advice gratefully received.