Lambs will learn how to suck quickly. As soon as lambs are sucking strongly you are swapping to using the tougher teats (red) as they are more robust to deal with more forceful sucking and any chewing.

If you use too few teats, this can lead to the lambs being unable to suckle often enough, and then sucking too fast and forcefully when given access. Look for a maximum of 10 lambs/teat for ad-lib systems - 6-8 is ideal.

It is important that milk is always available when feeding surplus lambs ad-lib. There is a far greater chance of the lambs chewing the teats if they are not receiving the appropriate amount of milk or if the milk has run out when they need to feed.

Weaning lambs at the correct time is important because they start to develop teeth quickly and teat chewing becomes even more destructive. For successful weaning, lambs should be:

• A minimum of 2.5 x birth weight
• A minimum of 35 days old
• Consuming 250g of solid feed a day.

It is likely that these 3 requirements will not happen at the same time, so aim to achieve at least two before weaning lambs

Not only are concentrates, roughage and water essential for rumen development, a fresh and continuous supply of concentrate and straw (in racks) also helps prevents boredom and satisfies the lambs desire to nibble and chew.

It is recommended that new-born lambs are fed milk at a temperature of 30ºC, however once they are drinking well, the temperature can be reduced to 18 – 20ºC. This will help to prevent lambs gorging on the milk, and also encourage the intake of dry feed and roughage – taking the focus off the teats!

This will encourage lambs to relax and be content.