Maximising an animal’s lifetime performance in traits such as weight gain, wool growth and fertility can occur by carefully controlling that animal's development early in life.

Why is this so? Producers at a recent Leading Sheep Advanced Weaning Nutrition workshop held in Cunnamulla discovered the answer all relates back to the development of the rumen, which is the digestive 'engine room' of all sheep and cattle.

Leading Sheep is an initiative of Australian Wool Innovation Limited in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and supported by AgForce, which targets the adoption of new technologies and practices to increase the productivity and profitability of the Queensland sheep and wool industry.

At the Cunnamulla workshop, Elders Livestock Management Solutions presenter Mathew Hallam said that lambs and calves are born with a poorly developed rumen as it is not required early in life, when the digestive system's sole task is to process milk from their mother.

"However the rumen develops rapidly over the first two to six months of life according to various environmental stimuli. The greatest determinant of rumen development is the type of diet an animal is exposed to up until weaning," Mr Hallam said.

"The fuel supply for great rumen development is starch (or complex sugars obtained from plants). Diets high in starch and fibre prior to weaning will allow an animal to develop a large fully functioning rumen."

Mr Hallam said animals with effective rumens will be more efficient at converting feed into production.

Stress is another major factor that will affect the development of the rumen in a young animal and the lifetime performance of sheep and cattle. Stress decreases the rate of digestion, increases fluid loss, and decreases appetite.

As well as inhibiting growth and development, stress exposes animals to the risk of disease and parasitic burdens.

Important diet ingredients in young animals that are vital for managing stress, encouraging the development of young body tissues (for disease prevention and growth) and energy metabolism are vitamins A, D, E and B12, magnesium and zinc.

Advanced weaning management consists of:

Providing extra starches, minerals and vitamins to the lambs in supplements for up to 14 days prior to and up to 30 days after weaning.

Conducting a 'yard wean' after the lambs are drafted off their mothers for up to three days where animals can be supplemented and monitored.

Providing extra attention to vaccination and drenching to provide a high level of immunity.

For more information about the Leading Sheep project in south-west Queensland, contact DPI&F extension officer Guy Newell on 07 4654 4217.