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Wildlife / Re: Swallows '24
« Last post by philcaegrug on Today at 06:55:24 pm »Our pair have been back a couple of days. Hopefully better luck than last year when the magpie had their chicks.
Recent Posts
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Sheep / Re: struggling triplet - rearing a single bottle lamb?
« Last post by vegpatch on Today at 03:18:43 pm »Thanks Fleecewife - that's encouraging. I've modified my plan slightly - lamb is still with mum and sibs inside, keeping the ewe who's lambed most recently company. He rallied amazingly yesterday (post antibiotics for pneumonia), is feeding very frequently and mum is now talking to him and nuzzling him again. I'm still trying to top him up and today he finally sucked from the bottle - not much but something. He even tried a little lamb bounce and is interacting with, and sleeping with, his sibs again. So, I'll keep them all in a little bit longer than planned and keep up with the top ups. Fingers crossed he gets it soon so they can all go out.
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Sheep / Re: struggling triplet - rearing a single bottle lamb?
« Last post by Fleecewife on Today at 12:01:59 am »I've only had to bottle feed one lamb in my years of keeping sheep, but I was determined she should stay with her family. We kept them in our polytunnel at first, with ventilation, in a double pen. Both lambs could go from one half to the other but the dam was restricted to one part only. Initially the dam ignored the lamb she had rejected (violently) but the twin would spend much of her time with her sister, popping back under the hurdle for a feed from mum (can you tell I grew up on a pig farm with farrowing pens?). I felt this was important as ultimately sibling relations are more important to sheep than parent/offspring.
Eventually the dam stopped shoving the rejected lamb but she never suckled her. We put them all out in the field together once I was sure the lamb would reliably come to the bottle. I was delighted to see that the dam kept as much of an eye on the rejected lamb as on the accepted one, and would seek out the rejected lamb if she was in the wrong field. They also all snuggled up together at night. The only strange thing was that the lamb was bottle fed. Her twin would always come with her and stare in amazement at feeding time.
We still have this little family group a couple of years later and I'm so glad I kept them all together.
Eventually the dam stopped shoving the rejected lamb but she never suckled her. We put them all out in the field together once I was sure the lamb would reliably come to the bottle. I was delighted to see that the dam kept as much of an eye on the rejected lamb as on the accepted one, and would seek out the rejected lamb if she was in the wrong field. They also all snuggled up together at night. The only strange thing was that the lamb was bottle fed. Her twin would always come with her and stare in amazement at feeding time.
We still have this little family group a couple of years later and I'm so glad I kept them all together.
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Swap Shop / Re: Cockerels wanted french copper marran white leghorn
« Last post by docsal on May 04, 2024, 05:57:03 pm »Sorry just spotted the date 😂
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Swap Shop / Re: Cockerels wanted french copper marran white leghorn
« Last post by docsal on May 04, 2024, 05:56:16 pm »Hi
We have a white leghorn. 2 years old.
Can send pics if you’re interested. FoC if you can collect from Aberdeen (AB15 8RA)
Regards
Sally
We have a white leghorn. 2 years old.
Can send pics if you’re interested. FoC if you can collect from Aberdeen (AB15 8RA)
Regards
Sally
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Marketplace / Wanted pigs
« Last post by docsal on May 04, 2024, 05:53:30 pm »Looking for a few weaners to raise to baconers. Aberdeenshire area
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Sheep / Re: struggling triplet - rearing a single bottle lamb?
« Last post by vegpatch on May 03, 2024, 02:04:27 pm »Many thanks. Will tuck him up in a draft-free corner. Hopefully he'll get the message re food soon.
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Sheep / Re: struggling triplet - rearing a single bottle lamb?
« Last post by twizzel on May 03, 2024, 01:04:12 pm »I should have thought so, plenty of straw, it’s not very cold at night now, but you could always put a heat lamp up to give him the option of something warmer.
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Sheep / Re: struggling triplet - rearing a single bottle lamb?
« Last post by vegpatch on May 03, 2024, 12:02:06 pm »@ Twizzel. Many thanks, that's really helpful and reassuring. He's on the last day of a 3 day course of antibiotics for a respiratory infection. He's responding well to the antibiotic - so OK to leave him in stable, given he's been sleeping in a separate corner of the mothering up pen to the rest of his 'family'?
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Sheep / Re: struggling triplet - rearing a single bottle lamb?
« Last post by twizzel on May 03, 2024, 11:44:20 am »I think I would keep him out in the stable in a little pen if he’s healthy, bringing lambs into the house isn’t ideal really unless they’re deaths door poorly or cold. Make sure the pen isn’t too draughty. He may call for a day, and he won’t drink much powdered milk to begin with, but as he gets hungry he should be more open to bottle feeding. Once he’s established feeding, you could let him run and out with the others.
The yellow and red Pritchard teats are my go to for bottle training lambs, they are much smaller than the non vac teats.
The yellow and red Pritchard teats are my go to for bottle training lambs, they are much smaller than the non vac teats.
