Championdrive Podcast – Episode 3.5
Barn Renos Part 2 + Creep Feeds from Essential Feeds
Date: September 22, 2025 | Host: Championdrive.com
Overview
This episode is the second installment in the “Barn Renos” roundtable, focusing on practical approaches to barn renovations, lambing area setups, creep feed options, feeding systems, ventilation, and day-to-day management in the show lamb industry. It features an expert panel:
- Chad Charmerson (Charmerson Club Lambs & Clinics, OK)
- Jake Warrenjez (Warrenjez Club Lambs, OR/CA/OK)
- Brian Riley (Impact Camps, WI)
- Cody Schmincke (Schmincke Club Lambs, IA)
The episode also spotlights creep feed choices from Essential Feeds with Barrett Carlisle.
Essential Feeds Creep Feed Spotlight
[02:37–05:38]
Feed Options & Customization
- Essential offers pelleted (330 or 340; high energy; medicated options) and textured feeds (417, 418, and “Moneymaker”—more economical, medicated).
- Pelleted often starts faster with lambs but most shift to textured by 30 days old.
- Quote:
“...by the time those lambs are 30 days old, most of them prefer the textured over pelleted.”
—Barrett Carlisle [04:13]
Key Differentiators
- Consistency and palatability are Essential’s main selling points.
- Feeds include Amiferm prebiotic, elevated organic trace minerals.
- Nationwide distribution through an updated dealer locator or direct shipment.
Lambing Barn & Jug Setups
[06:07–20:13]
Chad Charmerson
- Modular, expandable lambing area using 5x5 and 10’ panels for flexible jug setup.
- 16–17 jugs on concrete; uses a tube heater for radiant, surface warmth.
- After lambing, ewes clean out in a “pull pen” to keep jugs fresh.
- Quote:
"Nobody likes cleaning jugs. I try to avoid, if at all cost, having to hand pitch the jugs."
—Chad Charmerson [09:52]
Brian Riley
- Lambing jugs: 4.5x5’, most are basic panel frames wired together (frugality!).
- In-floor heat is largely unused (“I’d never do it again”; ewes get too hot).
- Up to 90+ jugs; lambs are grouped/rotated as needed.
- Quote:
"It doesn't work. The ewes get too hot...they'll sit there in those jugs and pant. So…I would never do it again."
—Brian Riley [13:00]
Jake Warrenjez
- Uses poly board lining like commercial hog barns to prevent chewing/rubbing.
- Home-built “V-panels” for jugs, easy to set up/take down.
- Ewes shifted between drop pens and outdoor runs for exercise.
Cody Schmincke
- Similar wooden jugs, practical with moveable carts for hay and straw.
- Transition area for new pairs, then up to group pens to reduce mismothering.
- On must-haves: hand washing, accessible medicine, and carts for bedding/hay.
Jug Height
- Strong opinions on keeping jugs low enough to step over; tall jugs are a nuisance, especially for shorter folks.
"There's nothing that pisses me off more than...trying to get over a lambing jug to hop in with a ewe."
—Host [20:13]
Creep Feeders & Feeding
[21:14–27:54]
Creep Feeder Types
- Chad: Transitioned from hanging troughs and A-frames (“take up too much space”) to Big Dog self-feeders (100 lbs + hay compartment).
“It's made a lot more spacious in our creep pens...no more moving feeders around.” [22:46]
- Jake: Uses hanging troughs; hand feeds so only enough is eaten each feeding—close monitoring.
- Brian: Standing, modular feeders (4-8-10’ long), easy to expand as lambs grow.
- Cody: Utilizes catchum feeders and rotates through multiple types as needed.
Feeding Philosophy
- Universal agreement: never let lambs run out of creep feed, as they gorge next time and cause digestive upset.
Bulk vs. Bagged Feed & Hay/Bedding
[27:54–37:28]
Brian
- Most feed is bulk except for bagged creep/developers.
- Hay/bedding is all big squares (3x3s), all bought and stored in summer.
Chad
- Bulk for main ewe feed; bags for developer and creep (for freshness).
- Small squares for bedding (easy for kids to handle); hay stored in large shop.
Jake
- Small-scale; all feed is sacked. Custom-mixed rations, stacked on pallets.
- Uses round bales (wheat hay) off-season, switches to small squares when lambing.
Cody
- Own grinder mixer; ADM commodities for ewe feed. Tried bulk creep—didn’t work, went back to bags.
- Makes own big square bales; offers tip on low-interest loans for hay shed construction.
Ventilation & Air Quality
[37:28–54:43]
Chad
- Barns oriented east, big sliding/overhead doors on all sides, timed giant exhaust fan, small pivoting windows for winter airflow.
- Stresses air quality: regularly cleans out ammonia/urine with Sizyme and lime; baby lambs are especially at risk near the ground.
Jake
- Spray foam insulation gives large temperature differentials; big fans along runs.
- Emphasis on cross-ventilation and keeping doors open as much as possible for air quality.
Brian
- “Summer and winter ventilation are completely different.”
- Uses 52” six-bladed dairy/poultry fans on thermostats; inlets and exhausts customized per barn size.
- Barn computer (EC34 controller) modulates airflow and temp.
- “No auxiliary heat needed; ewes warm barns.”
- Insulation has shifted from spray foam (birds destroy it) to lined interiors.
Cody
- Detailed engineering approach: calculates required airflow by cubic footage; intakes/west wall, variable speed fans (Hog Slat, etc).
- Experience with birds, insulation, and manure influencing the evolution of ventilation design.
Manure Management
[54:52–59:03]
Brian
- Cleans all pens/jugs between groups; concrete pad for pen-packed manure (goes to organic neighbor).
- Skid steers “constantly cleaning pens.”
Chad
- Scrapes and piles manure throughout winter; spreads it on pastures for fertility.
Jake
- Cleans by hand (use OSU college labor!); piles manure for winter.
Cody
- Old bunker silo for storing manure; regular cleaning schedule (every 3-4 weeks).
Listener Q&A & Practical Management
[59:03–76:19]
Cleaning Waters
- All panelists: Clean waterers by hand, using dish brushes; frequency ranges from daily to a few times weekly.
- Cody: Uses peroxide injection system via Dosatron for well water (tackles iron/algae/build-up):
"...peroxide treatment in the well...that was a big changer here for some of that growth..." [63:26]
Fly Control
- Chad & Cody: Use automated mister systems (Python, Piranha, agita-based repellents); note need for filtering hard well water to prevent nozzle clogs.
- Jake: DIY fly traps with PT Alpine aerosol and agita in 5-gal buckets are effective.
- Brian: Rotates manual fly sprays; avoids misters (“if it kills flies, I don’t want it on me”).
Bird Problems
- Birds eat into spray foam and foul waterers.
- Solutions:
- Manually removing nests (“the more you pull them down, the less they come back” – Chad [72:28])
- Tolerating bull snakes as natural control (though keeping it secret from the family!)
- Landscape foam “they will not eat into it”—Cody
- “.22 birdshot (salt)” for shooting birds without damaging barn siding.
- Big fans can also help deter birds.
- Lining barns (not just spray foam) is increasingly the preferred insulation method.
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On building for ease of cleaning:
"I'd spend that money up front...a lot easier to clean out a facility with a skid loader."
—Cody [50:35] -
On spray foam insulation:
“Spray foam insulation—one thousand percent. It sure makes a difference.”
—Jake [42:24] -
On in-floor heat:
“It doesn't work. The ewes get too hot...I would never do it again.”
—Brian [13:00] -
On creep feeders:
“Those big dog feeders...have been a huge benefit for us.”
—Chad [27:01] -
On fly misters:
“If it kills flies, I don't want it spraying on me...I'd rather manually do it here.”
—Brian [69:13] -
On birds:
"Me and birds do not jive...the more you pull them down, the less likely they're going to want to come back.”
—Chad [72:28] -
Humorous moments:
- "There's nothing that pisses me off more than...trying to get over a lambing jug..." —Host [20:13]
- “Landscape foam. They will not eat into it. They'll be done.” —Cody [73:48]
- Jokes about .22 bird shot for indoor birds and “Mama Candy” keeping a rifle handy for birds [76:19]
Timestamps by Topic
- Essential Creep Feeds: [02:37–05:38]
- Lambing Barn Setup: [06:07–20:13]
- Jug Height/Design: [20:13–21:14]
- Creep Feeders: [21:14–27:54]
- Feeding Systems: [27:54–37:28]
- Ventilation: [37:28–54:43]
- Manure Management: [54:52–59:03]
- Listener Q&A (Water, Flies, Birds): [59:03–76:19]
Panelists’ Key Takeaways
- Barn design must revolve around local climate, workflow, and labor availability.
- Flexibility (modular jugs, feeder types, removable panels) is vital as flock sizes and management practices change.
- Cleanliness in water, bedding, and air is a universal—if time-consuming—priority.
- Automation (ventilation, feed systems, fly control) offers efficiency gains but may not be for everyone.
- DIY problem-solving (fly buckets, hand-built jugs, landscape foam for birds) is a recurring theme.
- Community Knowledge: Networking—"call me if you need help with pest control or engineering.” [75:28]
Closing
Stay tuned for Part 3 of Barn Renos coming soon, with more practical insights and listener Q&A. For details on featured feeds and products, visit championdrive.com or essentialshowfeeds.com.