The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: abbaye on February 20, 2014, 09:57:08 am
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Hi folks, i have 3 lambs on the bottle, did have two but now an additional one and I have just discovered the joys of only have two hands and three hungry lambs! So I now have a bucket feeder from local agri merchant. Its square, split into two halves, with 3 holes for teats on each side. The teats are latex with a valve thats a metal flat round disk with holes in it and is a total pig to stick in the teats. Got it set up, milk in, lambs eventually tried sucking by the dont seem to be getting much out of it and are getting very frustrated. I squeezed the end of the teats so check hole - seems they have a tiny slit at the end (not a cross but a slit) which I presuming makes them self-closing?
I stuck a v sharp knife in to make slits slightly bigger - scared to do it much more in case the milk starts pouring out.
They are drinking but one it particular really struggles with it and is kind of chewing on it with the side of her mouth. I suspect its because when they were on bottle I used pritchard teats which pour out a lot quicker.
Question is, after all that mumbling .... can I cut the latex teats even more and if so should I just make the slit bigger with sharp knife or is there a magic trick to this?!
Another question - how often should you wash the bucket/teats - daily?
Many thanks!
M
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I can't comment on how best to increase the flow rate, perhaps the slow lamb will learn in time? I would suggest to clean the bucket every day if you can
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We rear calves and when we replace tests the calves always get cross and butt the living daylights out of it but as they have to work for their milk they give off a lot of saliva and really throat at the mouth. This is good! They will get used to it but don't worry too much if they are hungry enough they will get it!!
And we wash after every feed, it stops a build up of bactria and milk fat!
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Without wishing to teach you to suck teats, have you tried putting the non return valves in the other way round?
I had the same problem first time I used mine.
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Mungo I DID occur to me to do that! I actually rang a smallholder supplies place to ask them which way they should go in and they said it should be with the curved face with holes facing outwards and the little metal bump facing into the teat .... it did occur to me to try the other way but thought to myself " they must know better than me" so i didnt!
WHich way did you find most success then?
Many thanks!
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That is the way that worked best for me, i had it round the wrong way to begin with and wondered why I couldn't get much out of it. I have used the bucket for the last 2 years and the lambs have had plenty out of the teats once they got sucking at it.
Good luck