[ladyK]

I have a very thin ewe that lambed a single 2 days ago.
All my fault, she shouldn't have been in lamb, but I obviously separated her from the tup far too late (this year they chose to lamb a whole 6-8 weeks earlier than last year!) I live and learn every day...

Anyway, now I have to deal with it an give her the best care possible.
The lamb seems fine, very lively and quite happy. She's got a huge udder and there is milk in there - though I am a bit concerned about the fact that one of the teats seems huge too (the other one is normal).
The placenta is still sticking out of her, 48 hours later, and she seems miserable and eats very little, so I brought her in and spoke to the vet last night and she gave me a 3days worth of of pen&strep shots and a shot of oxytocin. Placenta still there this morning but the string is looking much thinner now. Temperature back to normal too so I suppose the ABs are working, tough appetite still not picking up (she will eat but very little at a time and only her favourite - donkey nuts).

So my question really is, once we get over that placenta issue, hopefully, how can I best support her to be able to feed her lamb? Extra feeding, obviously, but does she need more protein or more energy in this situation?
Anything that's particularly effective as a feedstuff? Anything I can supplement her with? A regular drench perhaps? Thank you for any ideas.

[Hellybee]

I know you ve probably checked but there's no copper in them nuts yeah?   Will she nibble on a little ivy or some hand picked green stuff? Some vitamins wouldn't go amiss?  Will she eat one of the disc licks, the softer ones?

[Foobar]

Sorry I can't help with your query ... but I do really want to cuddle that lamb!!!  It's so cute!! 

[clydesdaleclopper]

I would get some whole black black sunflower seeds and sprout them. They are very nutritious like this and my lot gobble them up as a treat. Sprout them until the shoots are appearing (takes a couple of days)

[kelly58]

Yup ! Sure is a beautiful lambie 

[ladyK]

I have read all the posts about getting a sick sheep to eat - I'm trying all kinds of things for now, and she seems to have picked a bit in the last couple of hours. Lambie still happy and I saw him feeding too, from the big teat!

Thanks CC, that's a great tip. Maybe I can sprout other grains too? I have some whole oats here. I will get some sunflower asap, I can see how this would be more nutritious than grain.

I was also thinking molassed sugar beet flakes? Is that a good idea?

[clydesdaleclopper]

Any sprouted grain will be great. If you spritz a bit of unpasteurised apple cider vinegar on it it also helps.

[ladyK]

She's feeling better, eating with more appetite again (willow shoots, yum!) so that's good news
Lambie doing well do
But a stringy bit of placenta is still stuck to her, 3+ days after delivery... Vet recommends to continue with ABs, hope this comes off eventually!? No nasty smell or discarge so I guess no infection (yet).
Anybody else has experiences with placentas retained for that long?

[Marches Farmer]

I'd supplement the lamb - get it trained to the bottle now (although you'll still need to wear waterproofs until it gets the hang of it - they do splutter a lot). Start by offering 60ml as often as you can manage and adjust according to appetite.  This will take some of the burden off the ewe.  I've known ewes take a week to cleanse completely but the a/bs should see off any infection.  Give her bits and pieces of greenery - cut them from the verge if you've none.  Just hard feed is no good for her rumen function. 

[ladyK]

Good idea about topping up the lamb - common sense but didn't quite occur to me as little one seems quite well. Learning a new thing all the time!

She seems to be over the acute phase, eating and lively