[Slimjim]

When necessary, I usually tube a lamb to get the initial shot of colostrum in, but then use a bottle if it continues not to feed. Having seen some recent posts, I'm wondering if this is a mistake and in order for the lamb to feed from mum sooner, it would be better to tube all the early feeds before the lamb gets the right idea. It seems some people have found the transition from tube to ewe works better than from bottle to ewe.
Any thoughts?

[Backinwellies]

Tube is my choice .. don't want lamb to see me as 'mum' . It is quickly done and you know exactly what is taken.

[Me]

I tube or suckle the lamb on the ewe - no bottle

[SallyintNorth]

I'm the odd one out, it seems.  I bottle if they'll suck and tube only if I think they're likely to inhale it instead of swallow it or if they won't swallow at all.

I've never really understood this 'they won't go back on the ewe' thing.  Since bottle-reared pet lambs all, without exception, readily transfer to a ewe if the opportunity arises!

Also, in my own view, with a newborn, if I can stimulate its natural suckling-and-swallowing behaviour, it's one step closer to getting on with suckling off mum.

A reasonably frequent scenario is that the lamb just isn't quite with the whole take-the-teat-and-suckle thing, but needs its colostrum.  I'm very likely to milk some colostrum out of the ewe, bottle-feed it to the lamb and as soon as it seems to have the idea about sucking and swallowing, put it on mum's teat. 

Tubing it gets it a known quantity of colostrum, for sure.  But then it's happy warm lamb with full tummy and likely to go to sleep.  So I still haven't seen it suckle and have to check back.  And if it's midnight now and I'm about to go to bed, it could be a long time before it does get going on mum if it doesn't do it on its own.

So for me, it's horses for courses.  I do use a tube if I think it best, but I certainly don't worry about using a bottle if the lamb will suck ok.

[Me]

Suckling lambs on ewes is IMO the worst job in sheep farming! We don't have to do it much thank god!

If the lamb is small and has a weak or no suck or I am due sleep I feel its much easier and efficient to tube 50-60ml and leave it in state, the energy injection seems to help them get up and go find/suck the teat if anything, I find they seek the udder with at least as much enthusiasm with a little colostrum on board.

If they are strong but mums a bitch (maybe new to motherhood) and they will suck well I turn the ewe and put the lamb on its side and let it suck direct - saves the washing up and at least you leave the lamb a bit more clued up as to where food comes from. I don't suckle the lamb on the ewe upright until the lamb knows what its doing because my patience is not to be relied upon if she hoofs him, stands on my toes (again) or the lamb sags onto the floor etc etc! If she still doesn't like the feeling of the lamb sucking later on I just hold her chin up and lean on her once or twice and they tend to give in and mother the lambs pretty quickly on the whole.

I suppose the reason I don't bottle is it just seems messy - you don't know exactly what the lamb has had because of dribble and as Sally said they can inhale which is just annoying and there is the washing up to consider!

[moony]

In the rare instance we need to interfere we bottle it and have never ever had a problem with lambs going onto the ewe. .

[devonlad]

got a tube but never used it. never had a problem with lamb preferring bottle to mum. with any that we need to bottle for a while till mums milk is flowing better it seems that they simply prefer what mums got.

[Pedwardine]

I only ever tube if that suckling instinct hasn't yet developed, otherwise bottle if problem with latching onto mum, preferably having milked the mum for the bottle contents if she's compliant.

[Roxy]

I have always bottle fed weaker goat kids, then put them back onto their mum, without any issue.  This weekend, I bottle fed a very small lamb, overnight, then returned her to mum next morning, when she was strong enough to feed from her, and it worked.
 
What is hard, is when the kid/lamb has fed from the mother, and then you try and bottle feed .....their little mouths are like vices when they don't take the bottle teat!!!

[Slimjim]

Thanks for all your comments, they are very reassuring. I can stop fretting (about feeding lambs anyway).