The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: HFloid on July 02, 2020, 10:18:19 am
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Hi all, we have this spring taken in 4 orphan lambs. Two were a week old on arrival when mum died shortly after birth. Two were 3 weeks old after mum died in the field. We have had them all on the same bottle amounts for a good few weeks now, all went out into the field two weeks ago. Starting to wean now, 3 small bottles (200ml), a little lamb creep and a little straw. My worry is with one of the younger lambs, he has suffered with bloat since we got him although his brother has had no issues. He had oil on the first bloat occasion, ginger mix three times since and even a little apple cider vinegar in the milk. All worked well and he was back to bouncing around very quickly. This last few days though he seems to be struggling more. All 4 get the same care and feeding, but this one will take some bottle then not eat the creep and show discomfort. I’m wondering whether to stop the bottles as they’re now 8 and 11 weeks anyway and see if he’s better without it. He has also had a homemade electrolyte solution which seems to help as he gets a runny bottom every few days. The other three are thriving it’s just this little one seems to have constant struggles. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Yes, they don't need milk any more.
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It looks to me that this one did not get a good amount of colostrum just after birth, which leads to a lot of digestive problems in lambs.
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Wean off milk now.
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Many thanks for replies. I stopped the milk and continued the electrolyte for 24 hours. He was better then ate a little creep and went downhill again. He’s back out now on grass and we’ll see how he goes. Although he’s losing condition quickly so not looking too great. He’s due some antibiotic later today just in case and we’ll see.
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Would be worth taking a poo sample to vet to check for cocci if it’s got an upset stomach. You could always keep him in on hay and creep, then reintroduce grass once he’s weaned and settled. Little pet lambs digestive systems can’t deal with lots of changes at once. My pet lambs don’t go outside until they are weaned off milk, eating hay and creep for a couple of weeks and have their first vaccine. Then they go out.