The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: gingercloverbramble on May 18, 2010, 11:48:25 am
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Our two orphaned pet lambs are just over a month now. They are in a large fenced off grassy area and have access to water, hay and creep pellets. I am just needing some advice on when and how to reduce their bottle feeding. How many times a day should I be feeding them now they are almost 5 weeks old and how much milk?! They have both grown so well and are strong wee lads!! :sheep: :sheep:
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Hi
my two bottle feds are about 6 weeks and still having 4 feeds per day. I was advised to make their milk formula weaker, ie 3 scoops instead of 4 and gradually tail it off but I have yet to try this. I don't know exactly when they should stop having milk, a friend of mine was still feeding her orphan at 6 months with one bottle a day. Another friend said they will take themselves off the milk when they are ready. So I am as much in the dark as you. Heres hoping some of the sheep gurus on here will have a definitive answer.
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I'm a big meanie obviously, but from two weeks old they are on 2 feeds a day (1 litre total per day) as this helps them to start taking the creep feed. Plus when it comes to weaning at about 6-8 weeks depending on the lambs, I just make them go cold turkey. If they are eating plenty of creep food and grass and have plenty of water they will yell for a day and then settle down.
Tough love tends to work the best for me anyway!
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We cut down at about 7 weeks (just to use up the Lamlac - wasn't going to waste that!) to one feed a day, then when the milk ran out we went cold turkey - the lambs were bloomin noisy for a few days but soon shut up when they learned nothing was coming!