Alternative Dryland Finishing Systems – Export Lamb

Summary

The group found that lambs set to be finished to export weights over 100 days in summer should be no less than 32kg at the start of feeding. Fat scores also need to be closely monitored. Lambs that are fat score three or above at the start of the feeding period are likely to end up over-fat at the point of sale. In the second year of the trial, some lambs had an average start weight less than 32kg but still managed to gain enough weight to reach the 45kg target. Similarly, some lambs above 32kg at the start of the trial failed to reach export weights.