The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: lou995 on April 03, 2013, 07:58:57 pm
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Now i may just be over worrying with some of these queries :-\
Lambs were born Easter Monday, single and set of twins.
A friend has commented that offering the ewes too much food after lambing will mean the ewe will spend to much time eating and not enough looking after lambs. They are on 1lb of 18% nuts split between 2 feeds and ad lib good hay. Keeping them in for the time being as there's little to no grass, so would be only eating ad lib hay if they were outside. I'm working on the theory that the feed is producing the milk.?!
They all appear to have bonded well, let them have run of whole shed while the other ewes, still to lamb, went out. Didn't have any trying to pinch each others lambs.
When do you know if/when to step in and offer lambs a bottle to top them up? So far they seem to be getting enough and are quite content. Any particular signs to watch for if they aren't getting enough/signs ewe not producing enough?
Last but not least, single ewe lamb has 4 teats, used to cut the spare teats off the dairy heifers, is it the same with sheep or leave them and they'll either produce milk or be blind on the extras?
Thanks all
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Mine wallop down cake in a jif, so it doesn't detract much from mothering activities. We have no grass and I will be giving mine cake for a few weeks yet, plus hay.
If lambs seem content, are bright and lively, are not bleaty and if you hold them up by their front legs, their wee tummies are like drums, then they are fine.
I have ewes with four teats but only two develop into proper udders. I wouldn't cut anything off, but it's not been an issue for me.
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Thank you :thumbsup:
Little devils have me worrying over everything being my 1st year! but their cute faces make it all worth it! :excited:
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I worry all the time; if I'm not worrying, I'm worrying that I'm not worrying ;D Goes with the territory, I think.
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No grass here ,started lambing 1st apr singles 750gm twins 1kg trips 1.5kg until the grass is green, if you let the ewes loose their milk you won't get it back. i have ewes that milk on all 4 teats .
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If a lamb gets up stretches and looks fit it is normally getting enough. They should be stood with one leg at each corner, squared up, if they have a huddled appearance i.e. front and back legs too close together when stood up then they are not getting enough. It often takes 2 - 3 days to 'square up' but when you get used to them you will be able to see by the fullness of the stomach earlier. They often take just small feeds in the first day or two so don't look full like a lamb on the bottle does.
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Lou, I know exactly how you feel as its my first year lambing too. The first lamb was born just over 2 weeks ago. I continued feeding mum and as Rosemary said it was woofed down very quickly so it really didn't detract from mothering.
I was worried that the lamb wasn't getting enough milk though so did a bottle. Luckily a local farmer came along just as I was about to give the first bottle and he said he would show me how to do it but when he picked the lamb up he could see that it already had a full rounded tummy. He tried the bottle anyway and the lamb wouldn't take it because it was full up. (the cat had the milk instead)
Silly me for worrying so much. That lamb has now been out in the field for a week and is growing before my very eyes. I can't believe how heavy he is getting.
Well yesterday I had twins (well a ewe did) and now I am back to worrying again :(