Lamb finishing is where all the hard work of the breeding season pays off, but getting lambs away fit, fast, and to the right spec takes planning, monitoring and organisation. With market prices and consumer demand constantly shifting, getting finishing nutrition right can make a real difference to both performance and profitability.
Here’s what we consider worth thinking about if you’re finishing lambs this season:
Know Your End Point
Before anything else, it’s worth being clear on what you’re finishing lambs for, whether that’s hitting a specific deadweight specification for a supermarket contract, or simply getting lambs away as efficiently as possible. This shapes everything from diet formulation to selection dates, so it’s the starting point for any finishing plan.
Grass Alone Rarely Tells the Whole Story
Grass is a brilliant, cost-effective base for finishing lambs – but as the season progresses, grass quality and quantity can drop off just when lambs need feeding up the most.
This is where targeted supplementary feeding earns its keep. A well-balanced concentrate can fill the nutritional gap, supplying the energy and protein lambs need to keep growing and finishing, without going “off the boil” as autumn approaches.
Energy and Protein: Getting the Balance Right
Finishing lambs need diets built around good energy levels to drive growth, alongside quality protein to support muscle development, but the balance matters. Too much protein without the energy to match leads to waste and is expensive; too little energy and growth rates are restricted regardless of protein levels.
Mineral and trace element status is also worth keeping an eye on, particularly where lambs have been under nutritional pressure from a tough summer or where forage analysis and farm history suggests deficiencies.
Watch for Warning Signs
A few things worth monitoring as lambs approach finishing weight:
- Growth rates: regular weighing helps flag any lambs missing targets.
- Faecal egg counts and parasite burden, which can quietly undermine growth even on a good diet
- Body condition scoring, to avoid both under- and over-finished lambs at the point of sale
- Consistency of intake, particularly when moving lambs onto a new diet or forage
Getting the Transition Right
However lambs are finished, whether that’s creep feeding outside, or a move to a finishing diet and housing for the final weeks, a smooth transition matters. Sudden diet changes can knock intakes and growth rates back at exactly the wrong time, so introducing any new feed gradually pays dividends.
Talk to the Team
Every flock and finishing system is different, and the right approach depends on your lambs, your forage, and your market. The team at Dugdale Nutrition can help put together a finishing plan that fits your system, making the most of what you’ve got and filling the gaps where it counts.
Give us a call on 01200 420200 to talk through your lamb finishing plans this season.
Dugdale Nutrition — proud to support livestock farmers across Lancashire, Yorkshire, and beyond for over 175 years.
