Management of lambs and kids

1. Ensure proper suckling of the lambs. Examine udders for blindness of teats or mastitis.
2. Take care of indifferent mothers and arrange suckling of lambs by restraining such types of ewes.
3. Provide creep feed (good quality hay with or without concentrate mixture) to suckling lambs in addition to suckling of milk from tenth day to weaning age.
4. If possible, make available green leguminous fodder or fresh tree leaves to lambs to nibble during suckling period.
5. Perform ‘lamb marking’ operation (comprising ear tagging/tattooing, tail docking and castration of male lambs) at the age of 2-4 weeks.
6. Weaning should preferably be done at 90 days, although in breeds with low milk production or where re-breeding is desired, it can be done around 60 days.
7. Supplementary feeding and good clean pastures must be provided.
8. Weaned lambs should be drenched against gastro-intestinal parasites by the first month, and vaccinated against enterotoxaemia and sheep pox
9. Weaners should not be grazed on poor, burry and thorny types of pasture since it could cause skin irritation, injury to the eyes and damage to the wool.
10. They should be protected against predation and the vagaries of climate.