Intensive Production of Spring Lambs from Pasture

Comparison of permanent bluegrass-white clover with seeded orchardgrass-ladino clover pastures and of continuous with rotational grazing of the bluegrass-white clover pastures were made at two locations over a 3-year period 1957–59. Ewes and lambs were used as tester animals with yearling cattle and dry ewes as grazers to consume surplus forage. Lambs on continuously grazed bluegrass pastures averaged 0.07 lb. gain per day more than those grazed rotationally on bluegrass and 0.13 lb. more per day than lambs on rotationally-grazed orchardgrass ladino clover at Blacksburg. The respective differences were 0.09 and 0.20 lb. per day at Glade Spring; all differences in gains were highly significant. Live slaughter grades of the lambs ranked similar to the daily gains but not all differences were statistically significant. Average daily stocking rate in terms of ewes per acre (cattle and lambs converted to ewe equivalents) were 6.1 on continuously grazed bluegrass, 6.6 on rotationally-grazed bluegrass, and 7.7 on orchard-ladino at Blacksburg; and 5.6, 8.2 and 8.5 respectively at Glade Spring.