The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: toaster on May 18, 2014, 08:45:04 pm

Title: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: toaster on May 18, 2014, 08:45:04 pm

I have a lamb thats five weeks old but much bigger than all of the others. It really took it out of the ewe to carry him, give birth and no raise him
She has some milk but not as much as the other ewes (they all have smaller twins) but is starting to push the lamb away now. He isnt very bright and wont eat hard feed but is nibbling at the grass
I'm wondering if he should be having extra milk and whether its better to leave him with mum or move her away to fully recover. She is very thin but is still having a twice daily ration of ewe nuts to help her
Any advice would be helpful thanks
This is them
(http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/gg399/nwilton/a13813f3-fd29-4472-b5df-d77c6e6086cb_zps6c347561.jpg) (http://s541.photobucket.com/user/nwilton/media/a13813f3-fd29-4472-b5df-d77c6e6086cb_zps6c347561.jpg.html)
 

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: Me on May 18, 2014, 08:49:32 pm

I would leave well alone and feed mum if you can

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: Ladygrey on May 18, 2014, 08:57:03 pm

She doesnt look so terribly thin in the photo, looks like working condition, she also has a visible nice bag on her

I would make sure she has nice grass, if she is kicking him off then leave her to kick him off, she may not be struggling as much as you think she is, if she is being fed cake twice per day and still cant rear one lamb well then maybe she isnt one to breed from again

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: SteveHants on May 18, 2014, 09:38:03 pm

At that age the ewe will kick the lamb away when she is fed up with it, ewe looks fine. I wouldn't worry.

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: toaster on May 18, 2014, 10:37:57 pm

Thank you all, thats reassuring, the ewes spine and hop bones are prominent but I guess I am worrying unnecessarily, the lamb seems huge and greedy but she seems happy enough.

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: sophie_aj on May 19, 2014, 10:23:45 am

Lamb is HUUUGE!

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: kanisha on May 19, 2014, 12:05:08 pm

That isn't a lamb its a sheep!!

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: JulieWall on May 19, 2014, 12:30:09 pm

it must be getting enough milk to have grown like that and as has been said already, she will walk away if she doesn't want to stand for the lamb. That lamb must be eating grass well by now it's probably just having a top up and she will fatten up fast now the grass is growing.

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: toaster on May 19, 2014, 01:01:40 pm

Thanks again. The lamb was born huge - the vet had to drag him out of there!

He is a bit dim and very clumsy but has a certain charm...like my husband!

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: Young Ed on May 19, 2014, 07:15:13 pm

i can see 2 sheep in above photo but can't spot the lamb! sorry 

doesn't look too bad but just keep a real good eye on her and  make her one of the first to be weaned
Cheers Ed

Title: Re: Five week old lamb - WWYD?
Post by: Marches Farmer on May 20, 2014, 02:12:02 pm

Have you wormed/fluked the ewe just before or since lambing?