by Jay Parsons, Tyler Cozzens January 21, 2026 Five years of data show lamb feeding margins have been difficult to sustain since 2020, with high feed costs and market volatility driving frequent losses. Seasonal timing and lower input costs remain critical for improving profitability. Photo: Real Ag Stock This article was first published as part of the Cornhusker Economics series by the Department of Agricultural Economics on Jan. 21, 2026. We are reposting it courtesy of C

By Donald G. Ely Department of Animal and Food Sciences University of Kentucky Creep feeding is a technique of providing feed to nursing lambs to supplement the milk they consume. Creep-fed lambs grow faster than noncreep-feds and are more aggressive in nursing ewes. This aggression stimulates greater ewe milk production which, in turn, increases creep feed intake because these lambs will be bigger at a given ages. Typically, the creep diet is a grain-protein supplement m