[horsemadmummy]

we are bottle feeding some commercial lambs and were thinking of using goats milk but struggling to get 20 litres a day!  it was suggested 50% GM 50% lamlac but will that upset their tummies?  also wondered if we do use goats milk  how do we go about a weaning schedule.  Currently withthe lamblac we get them up to 2litres a day by end of week 2 on 5 feeds a day then drop a feed a week so they are weaned at six weeks.  I have read that you dilute the goats milk rather than reduce the quantity.  hich seems a different way so I cannot see how I could combine lamblac and GM.  Has anyone heard of this or can offer advice?

Thanks in advance for any posts

[wytsend]

Goats milk is a lower butter fat than sheeps milk so no, diluting would not work.      I have used 50/50 in the past and found it to be very successful.

Lambs digest goats milk better than the lamlac !!!!

Sheep milk butterfat can be as high as 7/8% instead of goat averaging 4-5%BF

[horsemadmummy]

thanks for reply.  confusion came as my sheep for smallholders book says the dilute goats milk as part of weaning process.  thats great so just need to find a larg container to  move the milk.

[Anke]

I would second that, but would make up the Lamlac a bit thinner/less concentrated than it says on the bag.

With regards to weaning I always wean my goat kids by reducing the number of feeds, than then once I am on two feeds go to half bottles for a couple of days, then down to one half bottle, and then stop. But I leave them on milk much longer than 6 weeks!

[horsemadmummy]

6 weeks seems quite common for lambs to be on to creep/grass and I have heard some people do it in 4 weeks.  TBH depending on how much lamlac I have left at end of week 6 determines how much longer they continue with 1 feed a day.  they seem to get up to 2 litres a day very quickly and are large by time they are weaned.  i delay creep till after first week as i understand they are only 'single stomach' till that point when the rumian starts to work then they have ad lib plus at end of second week they are let loose in small pens each day along next to our own flock so they have loads of grass too but everyone comes in to bed at night even our main flock and it seems to work fine - on lambs anyway.

[Anke]

My bottle lambs (just over two weeks, and small triplets, both 2kgs at birth) currently get 1.5ltrs goatsmilk per day, 6x250ml feeds. I am now increasing it to 1.8ltrs. But in comparison to my goatkids (same age), they are already much more interested in hay and as soon as I get lamb feed (my merchants has run out!!! at this time of year!) they will get some of that. I can see that they could be ready to be weaned by 6 weeks, but I think I will do it by weight rather than just age. ( BUT If I had to buy Lamlac I would wean them as early as possible/sensible and healthy for them).

[horsemadmummy]

We do not do this by age every lamb is different .  We may have been lucky but by behaving like sheep is that newbies can suckle under us and that we have not been stricken with bloat  but touch wood 2 years running we have been fine.  As I said using our method everyone had been on. 2 litres by 2 weeks and very interested in hay and creep.   by 3 weeks they are on grass during day as well on our 1 acre lawn without competition.  They seem to thrive.  They see sheep and lambs through fence do talk and do sheep things which is great.  Fingers crossed this year is as easy!