Creep Feeder - Done

With this round of lambs being born over winter, I wanted their diets supplemented with lamb creep.  I haven't been a shepherd long enough to really know what difference putting them on lamb creep will make.  My fall lambs grew very well on pasture only and will be ready for the Easter market.  I am finishing them on lamb feed to fatten them up just in case.  My two lambs born over Christmas are growing remarkably fast and they are on mom and hay only.  However, I worry that the lack of good nutritious pasture may stunt their growth so have decided to supplement it with grain.  I'm also hoping it helps fatten them up quicker as well and may be able to let them join the fall lambs for the Easter market. So I screwed two pallets together and placed them in one corner of the maternity pen.

The door laying on it's side to the left of the pen is the birthing jug.  I've been caught unprepared for far too many births and finding myself scrambling around trying to find a private spot for mom and babe that I finally rigged up something for that as well.  I cut a little entrance into the pallets aka creep feeder for the lambs and waited for them to go exploring.  It didn't happen.  So Farm Girl came up with the idea to bring Celine over from the lamb pen.  Celine is our smallest lamb.  I think her growth was stunted because her mother was not producing enough milk and when I finally noticed and started supplementing her diet with a bottle, it was too late.  Though I have my suspicions that bottle fed lambs do not grow nearly as quick or as big as naturally raised lambs. This theory is based on my one and only experience raising a bottle lamb (Stilts) compared to his siblings who were on mothers milk.  As a note, Celine has also been on creep feed along with her siblings and remains small.  Adding it to her diet has not affected her size or help improve it.  She just looks bloated.  Anyway, we are trying the creep feed while the lambs are still on mother and will see if this will make a difference.

Since Celine is familiar and loves her grain, we thought she would be a good role model to introduce the lambs to feed.  And entering and exiting the creep feeder.

Well it worked.  Little back ram lamb was first to see what fascinated Celine on the other side of that pen.

It took a couple more curious looks.

Until....

In he went!

Since he's the leader of the younger set, I'm sure it won't be long before they follow.  And eating grain.