Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Bottle feeding novice  (Read 3482 times)

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #15 on: March 15, 2020, 06:39:29 pm »
Once a ewe has lambs she's dead easy to move.  You don't move her, you move the lambs, and she will follow ;)   Works for a few days, up to ten maybe, depending on how wick the lambs are.

Similarly, a ewe lambing outside is managed through her lamb or lambs. 
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #16 on: March 15, 2020, 06:42:03 pm »
They don't need a heat lamp indoors past the first 24 hours.  As long as they have straw and are dry and out of drafts, you can do more harm than good adding heat - unless they are actually hypothermic of course.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #17 on: March 15, 2020, 06:47:04 pm »
He is more likely to cry indoors, every time he sees or hears a person! 

Yes you are humanising the situation ;) 

In nature, mum will feed the lamb, tuck him up in the rushes or somewhere with a full belly, and go off to graze.  When he wakes he may call softly but if she doesn't answer, he will wait quietly until she returns or he hears her call - or he gets hungry or frightened.  So as you are feeding regularly, he will settle much better on his own between feeds.  He will call if he hears you nearby - so strive to make him not hear you!  ;)
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

tommytink

  • Joined Aug 2018
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #18 on: March 16, 2020, 10:19:35 am »
Okay. So he overnighted in the conservatory in a very large dog crate, the temp was dropping low last night and I was worried about him a) being alone in the shed and b) getting too cold. Tonight onwards it’s milder so I guess I could pop him back down there. He settled okay but we literally put him in and made as little noise as possible which, now we’ve hit the week, we won’t be able to do. I can go and check quietly to see if he’s bleating.

I’ve put him back with the flock today and just fed his bottle in the field. He does follow me but once I’m gone makes his way back to the others. If we can keep doing this, and bringing him in overnight, it could work. I’m not sure when we could leave him out overnight without a Mum due to the risk of predation.

I’m not sure, but will he need feeding for at least seven weeks?

Also, it says to help with development for weaning to offer creep feed and provide water which we do, but we have no way of knowing whether the lambs are even going in the creep feeding area. Is it just a case of if the feeds gone they are? But then still won’t know who’s taken it?

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #19 on: March 16, 2020, 11:13:28 am »
Most pet lambs are weaned at 6 weeks as any older and their creep and milk intake increase the risk of bloat. I keep all my pet lambs inside until they are totally weaned and eating creep and hay well and had their first heptavac jab, then they go out with the other sheep with a creep feeder in the field. Normally at 10 weeks to be honest.




SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #20 on: March 16, 2020, 11:38:06 am »
As he's growing up used to being at grass, bloat shouldn't be an issue as long as you don't feed too much quantity of milk at one feed.  Think about his grass intake if you move them onto better grass, though ;)

The rumen isn't fully developed until 8 weeks, so if you can manage him to avoid bloat, he will do better to stay on milk until 7 or 8 weeks if you can do it.  But the rumen is starting to be effective at around 6 weeks, so will probably manage from thereon.  My own opinion is that bottle lambs take a lot, lot longer to fitten if weaned before 7 or 8 weeks - but I know that others, who have struggled with bloat, disagree.

If he starts to sleep curled up with his brother, then I would start to leave him out overnight from about three weeks.  He'd only really be at risk if he had to sleep on his own, or while he's very wee.

Creep outside is likely going mostly into the local corvids  ::).  The lambs may never get the hang of it if you don't teach them (a) how to eat it and (b) where it is.

Easiest way to teach them is to feed it to the ewes and lambs from when the lambs are about three weeks old.  They will copy their mothers and then get the taste for it.  Feed it in a looooooooong thin line so the ewes can't resource guard it all and stop the lambs getting any.  Then when the lambs come running and tuck in, start to move the feeding towards the creep area and then into the creep area.

Your molly lamb can be offered creep indoors while you are bringing him in overnight of course, so you may be able to get him eating creep earlier. 

By the way, you do know he is covered in wool, right?  So unless it's more than a degree or two below 0C, he really will be perfectly warm enough in a draft-free well-strawed undercover pen ;)   We used to put ours in a tea chest with a good thick layer of straw when it was several degrees below - snug as a bug :)    If you are really concerned, put very warm - not boiling or anywhere near it - water in a hot water bottle, wrap the hottie in a towel or a fleece, and put it in one corner of his pen.  He can use it if he needs to.  (Bet he doesn't ;) )
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Bottle feeding novice
« Reply #21 on: March 16, 2020, 11:40:52 am »
I can go and check quietly to see if he’s bleating.

 :roflanim:

Nope!   :roflanim:
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

 
Advertisement
 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS