The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: WoodlandsDevon on April 07, 2017, 08:33:09 am
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Hello
i have a 2 week old orphan lamb (mother died just over a week ago) who is looking a bit lethargic and not keen on feeding. Quite a bit of the time he will stand there slightly hunched and head/ears drooping a bit, especially after i've managed to get some milk down (only manage to get just over half a bottle at a push). He does have dihoreah also of a dark mustard colour so could it be he is scouring and getting dehydrated? Or belly ache? His sibling does have an appetite however and is feeding well, although she is also scouring a little.
I am feeding them on calf milk replacer as a friend recommended this as a good cheap alternative, which i am feeding at about 150 grams to a litre of warm water. could they be reacting to this?
Appreciate anyones' advice
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Such a fragile time. I'd check temperature for starters. Listen for raspy breathing. We had a poorly twin orphan last year - and OH took him out into the sunshine (thinking it might be his last few hours) and he perked up immediately (still with us!).... If a temperature or respiratory issue then injection of ab and metacam... We've only used lamlac so no experience of calf milk replacer.... scouring may be if the mixture is a bit too rich?
good luck :fc:
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Calf milk replacer isn't good for lambs- yes it is cheaper but it doesn't have the right fats, oils and proteins that lambs need. Lamb milk powder is more expensive but much better suited (although not overly much more expensive- we bough a bag of calf milk powder at £36.50 the other week and lamlac is £40ish so not saving that much?) So that could be causing problems, or it could be the change from his mother's milk to powdered milk. If he is scouring I would take him off milk and onto a rehydration/scour formula (rehydion or similar), we had one with bad scour last year who had alternate feeds of milk and rehydration liquid which helped a lot.
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E Coli? and what has been said before. Saving on milk replacer may now be totally lost as I would involve a vet wrt AB's and NSAID's. In my experience of lambs being taken off their dams, after dams died in particular, is that they didn't have enough colostrum and often won't make it once it has gotten to this stage...
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Thanks for the comments
Will get to the vets... seems in pain as grinding teeth Although breathing sounds clear
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Sounds like he needs a squirt of Spectam, which is an oral antibiotic which treats watery mouth and scour. Vets should give you a dose :thumbsup: