Author Topic: integrating orphans with flock (Read 8315 times)

Remy · « **Reply #15 on:** April 28, 2016, 03:45:19 pm »

[size=78%]You're in a fortunate situation where you can see your fields from your house [/size]

[size=78%]. [/size]As others have said they are a little young at the mo to fend for themselves, but really as you are doing now - build up their outside time during the day when you are around. As they are taking milk from you they will always come when they are hungry and you call. When mine went out in the field I would just call from the fence, they'd rush over, drink the milk then go off again!

I've got two bottle fed babies that I had to keep near the house for a while - they still had their mums but one was too weak to suckle and the other got mauled by a fox and couldn't move its head. Fortunately neither were rejected and both have got strong and are back on their mums, but both still come rushing over when they see me even if their tummies are full!

[size=78%]I've raised many bottle fed lambs who have happily integrated into the flock. Although some are a bit stunted in size compared to their peers at first, they do catch up

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Hellybee · « **Reply #16 on:** April 28, 2016, 04:35:08 pm »

Me too, I find myself thinking sometimes ....what would Sally or Fleece wife do???

Phil M · « **Reply #17 on:** February 07, 2022, 03:36:50 am »

Good Day, All, I'm Phil M from the USA. I just joined the forum today.

I would very much appreciate some honest gentle feedback regarding our first experience with a bummer lamb. This is too long for a post, but I want to give some back-story so you can understand my question better.

We are experimenting with owning farm animals this year to see if we might start a small farm business in the next five years or so when I pension out from the Army. We bought 3 Dorper ewes in August. One gave birth to a nice little ram on October 30th, and he's doing very well. He and his mom stayed out on pasture the whole time and he's gained magnificently.

Unfortunately, one of the other ewes lambed a little ram on December 18th, and immediately rejected the poor fellow. We tried tying her up (no easy feat) to force her to nurse. The lamb was able to nurse twice off her thus, but as soon as we untied the ewe, she began butting the little one away from her.

That was seven weeks ago. We rushed to the supply store and purchased colostrum replacer and milk replacer. As it was cold in Pennsylvania (about -5C), we brought him into our covered porch and placed a heat lamp to help him stay warm. We fed colostrum replacer for the first 48 hours and then followed the package instructions for milk replacer. Our little ram ("Billy") was born at 8.4lbs, at eight days was 13.6lbs, and at 30 days was 30.2lbs. Over the past couple weeks, we have been putting him out in the pasture with the other sheep for most of the day. They seem to tolerate him, but he spends a lot of his time separated by 10-20 meters from the other four sheep and bleating for my daughter.

As of now, we are on a regimen of two bottle feedings daily, one in the morning and one at night. In the past two days, we have started taking the bottle out to the pasture, but til now we have brought him back into our covered porch at night.

I am very eager to move the lamb back out onto the pasture with the rest of the flock (you can imagine what my saintly wife thinks of all the urine and feces on the back stoop). He has definitely learned where the barn and the sheep stall is located in my winter paddock (I'm keeping them on one pasture while I have to feed hay)....so he knows where to go to find shelter from the wind and a nice thick padding of straw to lay down in. He's eating hay very well and nibbling at the pelletized feed I have offered him. When I looked at his gut earlier today, it appeared he had eaten quite his fill of the hay.

It is supposed to get down to -8C tonight, but he's 50 days old, probably 35lbs, and knows where in the pasture/barn to find hay and water.

Dare I make the move now and leave him out over night? If I wait for warmer weather, I'll have to keep him inside our porch for another 6-8 weeks.

Thanks for any advice. I am looking forward to learning more about livestock and small-holding (we call it homesteading here) from you all.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #18 on:** February 07, 2022, 02:08:09 pm »

I can't quite make out whether the sheep can get into the barn for shelter and straw bedding? If so, and he does go in there if he needs it, then he should be fine. But he won't have a mum to cuddle up to, so I think -8C might be a little much if he has to sleep out on his own overnight at 7 weeks. (As he is fit and eating well, it won't kill him in one night, though, so you could try it for one night and check his temperature in the morning - slip your finger in his mouth, at the side where there are no teeth; if it feels other than nice and warm in there, then he got chilled.)

Phil M · « **Reply #19 on:** February 07, 2022, 03:26:00 pm »

SallyintNorth,

Yes, the lamb is able to walk into a straw-filled stall in the barn. I just leave the doors open for the sheep. Thanks very much for the insight.

We left him out til 4am, at which point I had to get up anyway and my daughter heard him bleating. I went out and got him, but he still felt plenty warm. I went ahead and brought him in to the porch and gave him his morning bottle. I think perhaps he was just bleating for his usual feeding.

He's outside now (10:30am, +1C temp) in the sunshine and chomping away at the hay with his flock-mates and appears fine. We may try again for a successful all-night "camp out" tonight.

Thanks so much for the reply.

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #20 on:** February 08, 2022, 01:11:31 am »

Could you make a little den for him in his straw pen with a lowish top to keep him cosy (with boards or bales? Leave him fastened for a few nights or when it's bad weather? Hope he gets the message?

Phil M · « **Reply #21 on:** February 08, 2022, 06:55:29 pm »

Hi, Penninehillbilly!

So, awesome news--last night, we left him out with the other four sheep. The flock was within a few meters of the open barn door, but they found a snug spot right where I had their hay bale set up, and our little bummer snuggled in with the other four and didn't bleat all night. I went out at 6am with a warm bottle of milk replacer for his morning feeding, and he bounded up, hungry, and seemed great. He felt warm, wasn't shivering, and his mouth felt fine (or at least as much as I could tell, he was so eager to get the bottle). He drained the bottle and didn't complain when I left him with the flock and went back inside.
They're all in the barn right now, chewing their cud and napping, I guess, so I think we've turned a corner and may not have to keep him on the porch anymore. We're so glad....he's a flock animal and needs the support of being with his flock, so we're optimistic. Thanks for commenting!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #22 on:** February 08, 2022, 11:20:44 pm »

Great news! Thanks for the update. Yes, it's always best when they rejoin the flock, if possible. Glad we were able to give you a bit of moral support and insight as you worked it out for your wee fella.