The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: dixie on April 07, 2018, 08:28:20 am
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one last ditch attempt to get my ewe to accept her twin, I can't find any pictures of the suggested cut a hole in a bucket and put over her head? Anyone please?
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Not heard of this one. We have adopters with a long U-shaped slot cut out of thick ply, which is tied in across the corner of a pen, so the ewe can stand up and lie down, with a bucket of water tied in on one side of the slot and a haynet on the other. I suspect a ewe with a bucket on her head would clobber her lambs with the edge of it at fairly regular intervals.
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Ive read about it but don't know where? It's supposed to be very successful, but I've decided I'd worry too much and being that's she's had 4 days to accept him and hasn't he's just had his first bottle!
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Have you tried milking her and rubbing a handful of the milk over the lamb's head and tail? Makes it smell of her.
Just seen you've tried a bottle. Were you to milk her then feed that to the lamb by bottle then the droppings would smell of her too. However, she does seem fairly unlikely to accept him now, although I have seen it take up to a week.
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You just cut round hole in the bottom , then push the head/ears through ,just like the protector on an injured dog . Won't make her take the lamb , just means she can't see or sniff lambs easily . Ewes that hate one of their own lambs very rarely accept them
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I tried rubbing her milk on him, when his sister wee'd I made sure it was on his back end too, he's only had her milk since he was born so he definitely smells of her and his twin, but she just will not feed him, I put them out on grass today and he's taken to the bottle, so I'll bring them in again tonight until I'm sure he'll come for the bottle, but leave them as a family,me seems quite happy so Far!