How to Measure Your Feed I often hear of people who have questions about how much they should be feeding their lambs. When these people are asked how much they are currently feeding their lambs, a usual response is "A coffee can a day" or "Two scoops a feeding". What's wrong with this? Well, it's fine that you may use a can or a scoop to feed your lamb, but this isn't easy for others to refer to. First of all, not all coffee cans are the same size; a scoop could be as big as a five-gallon bucket. You should also take into consideration that not all feeds weigh the same amount. You could fill up a four pound coffee can with one brand of feed and do the same with another brand of feed and there could quite possibly be more feed in one than in the other. How is this possible? Well, what if you filled a coffee can with feathers and weighed it. Then, you weighed the coffee can when it was filled with rocks. Which one is going to weigh more? While two different feeds aren't going to be as far off as rocks and feathers, they still may be off a little. Does a little matter? It does when you're feeding a show lamb. If you do measure your lamb's feed with a can or a scoop, be sure that you're able to convert that amount of feed into a measurement standard, such as pounds or ounces. In order to do this, first weigh your empty coffee can or scoop. Then, add your feed to the container and measure it again. Take the first weight and subtract it from the second weight and this is the amount of feed that is in your can or scoop. If you don't have access to scales, try taking your can and feed to your local feed store and see if they will weigh it for you. |
This page was last updated on: January 7, 2005
How to Measure Your Feed I often hear of people who have questions about how much they should be feeding their lambs. When these people are asked how much they are currently feeding their lambs, a usual response is "A coffee can a day" or "Two scoops a feeding". What's wrong with this? Well, it's fine that you may use a can or a scoop to feed your lamb, but this isn't easy for others to refer to. First of all, not all coffee cans are the same size; a scoop could be as big as a five-gallon bucket. You should also take into consideration that not all feeds weigh the same amount. You could fill up a four pound coffee can with one brand of feed and do the same with another brand of feed and there could quite possibly be more feed in one than in the other. How is this possible? Well, what if you filled a coffee can with feathers and weighed it. Then, you weighed the coffee can when it was filled with rocks. Which one is going to weigh more? While two different feeds aren't going to be as far off as rocks and feathers, they still may be off a little. Does a little matter? It does when you're feeding a show lamb. If you do measure your lamb's feed with a can or a scoop, be sure that you're able to convert that amount of feed into a measurement standard, such as pounds or ounces. In order to do this, first weigh your empty coffee can or scoop. Then, add your feed to the container and measure it again. Take the first weight and subtract it from the second weight and this is the amount of feed that is in your can or scoop. If you don't have access to scales, try taking your can and feed to your local feed store and see if they will weigh it for you. |
The Lambinators 4-H Club of Scioto County, Ohio |
