石榴视频

Dry conditions across much of eastern Australia are a timely reminder of why containment feeding matters. Root zone soil moisture deficits persist in parts of north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland, where conditions remain among the driest nationally. The Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast for June to August 2026 indicates rainfall is likely to be below average for much of eastern Australia, meaning many producers are already planning ahead. (Read the latest drought update from the Bureau of Meteorology by .)

These conditions mean there is increasing interest in containment feeding, as a drought management tool. Whether you’re new to the practice or refining a system you’ve operated for years, having access to the right information makes a difference.

The following resources have been compiled to support producers involved in – or considering – lamb containment feeding. From nutrition and ration planning to animal health and infrastructure, these links cover the key areas that matter most on the ground.

The SQNNSW Innovation Hub-supported Paddock to Pen project is also building a regional evidence base on lamb containment feeding; find out more and sign up for project updates at .

Preparing for drought

• Managing & Preparing for Drought Handbook - the managing drought guide has a preparation section, taking you through putting together a drought action plan, .
• Dry Times Smoko: for an overview of livestock issues brought about by dry conditions.

Calculators and other tools

• Drought & Supplementary Feed Calculator - , from NSW DPI, is a tool sheep and cattle producers can use to develop drought feed rations.
• Lamb feedlot calculator -  enables the user to enter different real time production, economic and feeding scenarios to estimate likely profit for a lamb feedlotting enterprise.
•  - supported by the SQNNSW Innovation Hub and developed and maintained by the University of New England, this tool provides a six month rainfall forecast for your location, and helps predict soil moisture, pasture growth, and animal weight and health risks. .

Confinement feeding information: read, watch, listen

• A Guide to Confinement Feeding in NSW - these resources from Local Land Services NSW provide information on everything you need to consider, when setting up a containment area. .
• Confinement feeding - watch  for more on confinement feeding planning and principles.
• Fundamentals of confinement feeding - watch to learn more about what a confinement feeding system is, the benefits, and practical advice.
• Workshop series - in 2025, Merinolink ran a series of workshops on confinement feeding. , and download the slides. The national webinar discussed practices around confined feeding (particularly at joining and lambing) as well as the use of supplements to increase production, mitigate heat stress and methane production in confined and grazing sheep.
• Sheep Confinement During Drought Podcast -  from Charles Sturt University’s Gulbali Institute. In this series, experts answer questions raised during the 2025 Merinolink workshop ().
• Sheep Drought Feeding Book - from Agriculture Victoria, this booklet as a PDF or Word document.
• Confinement Feeding Systems - this for LLS NSW has a host of additional resources, on slide 1.
• Containment Feeding to Boost Business Performance and Resilience Project - from the South Australian Drought Hub, this provides information on everything from decision pathways to releasing stock from containment. You can also , for a project overview.
• A producers’ guide to production feeding for lamb growth -  covers nutrition, feeding options, welfare, marketing and more.
• Unlocking containment success - in 2026, provided an overview of on-farm findings and learnings from two connected Producer Demonstration Site projects, delivered with the Barossa Grazing Group. You can also .

Landholder case studies

• Landholder case study – retaining breeders: , includes producers who utilise confinement feeding to retain their core breeding stock in dry times. This case study is from the Saving our Soils During Drought project supported by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. You can 
• Landholder case study – utilising a feedlot for confinement feeding of lambs: , with a producer from Wean in NSW, involves the expansion of an existing feedlot during a recent drought.

Research papers for you

• Finishing lambs: optimising preparation and adaptation of lambs to improve finishing performance - from an MLA/Charles Sturt University project collates the state of knowledge regarding lamb growth rates and identify constraints on individual lamb performance in feedlots.
• Lambs fed two diet types in confinement had increased rates of fat deposition compared with lambs grazing pasture: animals fed in confinement demonstrate increased rates of fat deposition in comparison to their counterparts grazing pasture. , explored the extent to which energy costs of activity and the composition of the diet contribute to the observed differences in body composition.
• The environmental impact of sheep confinement feeding systems -  explores the knowledge gaps surrounding confinement feeding sheep, compared to cattle.

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The University of New England hosted Armidale Node of the SQNNSW Innovation Hub receives funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Published: 11 May 2026