The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Tina Turkey on September 25, 2010, 08:04:56 pm
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Hi we have a rejected lamb that we are bottle feeding. She is 2 weeks old tomorrow. She seems to be doing fine and is growing quickly and seems healthy and full of life. She doesnt seem interested at all in creep feed or hay yet which I dont know whether I should be trying to encourage her more or whether this will come shortly?
I am concerned though that whenever I take her out and about for some exercise in the fields she spends most of the time eating ground from the tops of mole hills etc. Im sure this must mean she has a deficiency or something wrong with her stomach?
Does anyone know?
Many thanks
TT
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I'm not sure why she's doing it but it's not good for her - a good way to pick up listeriosis. Perhaps she wants to try nibbling grass but without a mum to show her how she's not doing it right. You need to get down on your hands and knees and show her how to graze ;D ;D ;D Lambs usually try a few odd mouthfuls of grass or hay from a few days old but they should still be getting their main nutrition from milk at 2 weeks.
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TT its fine! mine love mole hills and we have billions of them....never done any harm!
Will reply to your email later....got lost in the pile...sorry ;)
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Oh thanks Woolly! Dont worry about not getting back to me - I know how busy you are!
She is doing fine and I have actually brought in two girls - our old skinny one who should have gone to the field in the sky this summer but didnt ;D and our young lamb who I topped up with a bottle in Feb - both of them I dont want to get preggers if poss so they are in with the young one at the moment - they are not happy and keep calling to the others but I hope I have caught them both in time - our matey boy is marching about with his top lip quivering so he is on the rampage. I still have the little ones crate in there and just lock her in that at night - each time i go and check she is snuggled in her crate anyway so she has somewhere to go if they butt her - fingers crossed it will all be fine. famous last words!
TT :wave: