Sprayfo’s recommended
lamb feeding schedule

The following feeding, mixing and weaning instructions are suggested for rearers feeding Sprayfo Alpha or Sprayfo Primo lamb milk replacers.

Lambs can be reared successfully on either Sprayfo Alpha or Sprayfo Primo from Day 2.

Rearing Lambs Ad-lib on Automatic Feeding Machines

Mixing rate: Mix 200g Sprayfo milk replacer per litre of water

Setting up the automatic feeder

Ensure that you always follow machine manufacturing instructions, particularly for:

Set up
Feeding capacity/numbers
Cleaning
Calibration*
Mixing temperature

Basic requirements for hand-rearing lambs

Colostrum: Always ensure each animal has adequate intake of high-quality colostrum in first 12 hours post birth (approx. 10% of its body weight).
Dry matter: Introduce feed in the form of pellets or top-quality hay from 1-2 weeks. Pre-weaning, at 4-5 weeks, they should be eating a minimum of 250g DM per day.
Water: Make sure lambs have access to clean drinking water in the pens, always.
Housing: lambs need a warm, dry, draught-free space to thrive in.

Mixing Instructions for Ad-lib Feeding Machines

Set the machine to 220g/L to get the desired 200g/L feeding rate. The reason for this is because of the way that a machine dispenses the powder, as it mixes with water, means a machine set at 200g/L mixes closer to 180g/L.

NOTE: Over-mixing can be identified when Sprayfo milk replacers separate or froth. This can cause an issue through some semi-automatic feeding systems, ie the Heatwave.

Rearing Lambs on a Restricted Feeding System

Here’s a suggested lamb feeding schedule using either Sprayfo Alpha or Sprayfo Primo lamb milk replacers.

Please note: Sprayfo feeding suggestions are designed to cover a range of farming systems and lamb sizes. With smaller lambs, or in certain situations, different feeding schedules might be more appropriate.

Importantly, every lamb should get enough milk (at the correct concentration) over the course of a 24-hour period. Smaller frequent feeds will create a more natural experience for lambs - aiding digestion and reducing stress, with benefits for health and development. Furthermore, frequent smaller feeds reduce the risk of bloat.

Mixing Instructions for Restricted Feeding of Lambs

Always follow feeding instructions
Heat all required water to 40-42°C
Start stirring water, then slowly add milk replacer powder, mixing for approx. 2 minutes*
Best drinking temperature 38-39°C

* Mix to make up a litre, NOT on top of a litre, eg. add 150g milk powder to 850mL water to make 1L milk replacer. Sprayfo mixes very easily, take care not to overmix or the product will separate.

Rearing Lambs on a Starter-Finisher System with Sprayfo

Many lamb rearers have had good success feeeding Sprayfo Alpha (a casein-based powder) as a starter and finishing the lambs on Sprayfo Primo whey-based milk replacer. Because these two products are manufactured the same way, switching between the products is straight forward.

Suggested feeding schedule:

Start lambs with Sprayfo Alpha Lamb for the first 2 weeks post-colostrum – giving them a strong start.

In week 3, switch the lambs onto Sprayfo Primo Lamb (whey) milk replacer - to encourage rumen development.

The benefits to doing this are:

reduced risk of nutritional scours in very young lambs (common during the colostrum to milk replacer transition)
switching to Sprayfo Primo Lamb from week 3 will encourage early rumen development
easier weaning transition