The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: crofter 65 on April 25, 2017, 05:39:15 pm
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We have an orphan lamb that won't take milk from the bottle, he was a twin and his mother didn't want him, we persivered and kept him with his mother but in the end after about a week she totally rejected him.
We now have him with another lamb, but he's not drinking from the bottle we have tube fed him to keep him going, also give him gloucose in case his blood sugars were low ( this happened to another lamb that wouldn't suck ) when he gets his bottle he doesn't really suck it's more just running out the teat, any ideas are welcome please.
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Have you checked the top and bottom jaw line up OK? Is the tongue attached correctly? Have you tried a Pritchard teat, rather than a standard size one? Lambs often find these easier to start with. Wear waterproofs, be patient, make sure the milk is just warm (I use 70% cold water and 30% hot) and leave a couple of hours between small feeds to start with. Being hungry may give him the incentive needed to persist with suckling from a bottle. Repeated stomach tubing isn't good for the lamb (or you!)
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Both end seem OK, we agree stomach tubing isn't a way forward, only a means to get something in a poorly lamb, his poops seem very hard so he's getting some liquid parrafin.
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I would be inclined then to make his feed a bit weaker, ie add more water.
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Nightmare lambs - but lovely lambs.
Is it up and about? Have you creep and feed in with it? Tried putting it out on grass?
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Hi, it's to young for grass or lamb creep, ups and downs of lambing some just have a death wish, but you have to do your best anyway.
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Sometimes it helps to just give it a cuddle and talk to it for a while. Often that gets it nibbling and seeking the teat, so slide the teat into its questing mouth...
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just a couple of other tips which may help:
Always sit down and relax and have the lamb across your knee because standing with one leg up on something and the lamb across your knee doesn't seem to work.
Cup a hand under the jaw and hold the head to your chest - they like the side of their face against you
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I find them all different. Some like to be across your knee, some like to be held against you, some like to stand. Try everything. Dip your finger in the milk and see if it will suck that. Wriggle the bottle a bit. Talk. Sing. Swear. As said lots of little feeds to begin with.
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I sit on a straw bale or sturdy stool with the back end of the lamb between my knees. That way it is difficult for the lamb to back away from the bottle. It also means that your arms are around its chest and hands are around its face when you offer the bottle which seems to make them feel secure.
Good luck!
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I find they take the Pritchard teats best, changing to the bigger Nettex later.
Try putting some honey either on the teat or better in the milk, i use a very small bottle to start with, keep putting it back in water to keep temperature up, 39c.
Also try tickling/scratching the top of the tail, a trick I was told to use on kids, worked with mine.