4-H Leader Information

Lesson 1 - Basic Production Information

• Ask each 4-H member to make an inventory list of items that they have on hand that they use for their 4-H project. Then, have the members make a list of items they would like to purchase that would be used with their 4-H project animals. You might also have members to look through livestock supply catalogs or visit a local livestock supply business to determine the cost of each of the items on the list. They can then add this cost information into their record books under project budget

• Discuss what to look for when a ewe is getting ready to lamb.
• Discuss what items to have assembled at lambing time. Members with breeding projects could also put together a kit that contains all the items they might need at lambing time.

• Have members bring in samples of grains that they feed to their project animals. They may also want to bring along the container that they use to measure the feed. Weigh the amounts that members give their animals to see how much they are feeding.
• Compare the nutritional value of the different grains that 4-H members use to feed their lambs. A good option is to have members compare the percent protein in the feed with the cost. Have members calculate the cost per pound of protein for each grain. They can also do this for hay samples if they have a laboratory analysis. To calculate the cost per pound of protein, find the cost per pound of feed and then multiply by the percent protein.
• Using nutritive values and feed weights, determine if a ration meets a lamb's nutritional requirements. If you need information on the requirements for sheep, you can find them at the National Academy Press as part of the "Nutrient Requirements for Sheep" publication.

• Discuss worming products and what worms each product will control. You could also look at dosages and do a cost comparison for deworming one sheep.
• Discuss different sheep diseases and how a 4-H member would diagnose a disease. Discuss what could be done to prevent or to treat each disease. You might also want to discuss which diseases are more likely to occur in market animals versus breeding animals.

• Have 4-H members list ways they plan to market their project animal. Examples include buyer letters, sale posters, or personal contact. Members could design the posters they display at their pens to thank buyers from the previous year or to provide information for buyers about their project animal for this year.
• Have 4-H members make a list of who they plan to contact about buying their project animal.
• Not all project lambs are sold at a junior livestock sale. For lambs they don't sell at the junior livestock sale, members could look at the holiday calendar and discuss when would be the best time for them to sell any remaining lambs. They could look at what it costs them to feed the lamb and compare that to what they might expect to earn from the sale of their lamb at varying times of the year. (For example, should the member feed their lamb for a week after their local sale before sending to a local auction or should the lamb be fed for a longer period until a holiday raises the prices that lambs will sell for?)

• Have members discuss how they could decrease costs associated with raising their 4-H projects. They can use the budget in their project record book to look at how much they spend to purchase a lamb an dcompare that to how much they need to sell their lamb for to break even or to earn money on their project animal.