[horsemadmummy]

We have four orphaned lambs which we collected on Wednesday.  We were told they were week old.  All seemed fine eating well until this morning!

The largest (which was the greediest) seems to have an upset tummy, is very flat and doesn't want to eat.

They have all been fed the same and are kept in together.

Should I isolate him?  what else do I do?

HELP!!!!!

[plumseverywhere]

have you called the vet?

[Hardfeather]

That's no information at all for us to work on.

What evidence do you have for an upset tummy?

Is the lamb warm?

Is it being fed from a bottle, or a tube?

How is it lying, ie flat out or curled up, and does it feel floppy of tend toward stiff?

Is there any swelling and/or heat in its joints.

Does it have scour?

Is there any water coming from its mouth?

Is it bloated or tucked up?

[horsemadmummy]

gone back to shed washed and dried his back end which as he has really short coat was easy to see stained in large patches.  he had enough energy to protest!!!!  and run around pen when i put him back in!  havent taken his temperature yet but he doesnt feel too cold and when he curls up in corner the others settle around him.  he is not bloated but clearly as this morning was first feed since 9 last night he wasn't full either.  i managed to get 150mls down him of his feed although he wasn't enthuiastic like the others.  as i am in and out the barn this morning with ewes and chucks routine i will keep an eye on him and see what he is like at next feed.

[Hardfeather]

gone back to shed washed and dried his back end which as he has really short coat was easy to see stained in large patches/as this morning was first feed since 9 last night he wasn't full either/i managed to get 150mls down him of his feed although he wasn't enthuiastic like the others. 

What colour is the staining, and is it from faeces, or what?

I suspect he would be slightly cold this morning as well as hungry. The first thing one should do when seeing young lambs for the first time in the morning is check their temperature (unless, of course, they are obviously well and seeking their feed). This is best done by putting a pinky finger into their mouths over the tongue. Anything other than body temperature will immediately be felt. The lamb may or may not try to suck the finger, and this can be another indicator to the state of the lamb. In a cool lamb the suck reflex will be depressed.

It is the process of digestion which produces heat from within. Equally, digestion relies on a normal body temperature to occur. Lambs which are cool or cold should not be fed before they are warmed.

It may be that your lambs could do with a heat lamp through the night, at least, and they certainly need to be fed later than 9pm.

Some lambs, usually big ones, and who may have had protracted births, are more lethargic and dopy than others.

I

[pikilily]

Ref feeding - If you think of lambs like newborn babies, would you expect a newborn babe to go from 9pm at night till maybe 6am? i feed every two to three hours throughout the day and night if they are weekold orphans. .....small but very frequent feeds.

It could be that he/she was bloated from last night, and then too cold and hungry this morning. this may aslo explain the ? ? looseness of stools. ie overloaded gut.
HTH EmmaT

[horsemadmummy]

thanks for reply - farmer said four feeds of 250mls each which is why we have done it that way.  he is a little warmer now but yes has loose yellowish stools so I think I will muck them out put clean bed down (they are deep littered) and construct him a fleece jacket!  i read somewhere that live yoghart is good for upset tum has anyone heard of this?

[Freddiesfarm]

Have you checked him tummy to make sure he doesn't have an infected navel?  That is the classic with bottle lambs of that age. Also take not of the consistency of the poo - the more liquid like the bigger the issue

[woollyval]

With orphan lambs all sorts can and do go wrong. You will not know how much colostrum he has had and therefore he may not be vert thrifty and prone to infection and upset,  he might have an infection passed through the navel like Freddi has mentioned, he might have over indulged ......... its very hard to know!
I feed orphans I have had in the past 4-6 times a day if v strong......so you are ok there to be honest, little and often for the first week or so is good if you can manage it. Set up a heat lamp to keep him warm, feed warm sugary water rather than milk to keep up electrolites and help his tum recover, jab with antibiotics....get the farmer you got them from to come over and do it as you are new to sheep and he is likely to have a supply......see how he goes and if no better take to vet.

Unfortunately many orphans die due to unforseen and unknown issues......

[Pony-n-trap]

With orphan lambs all sorts can and do go wrong. You will not know how much colostrum he has had and therefore he may not be vert thrifty and prone to infection and upset,  he might have an infection passed through the navel like Freddi has mentioned, he might have over indulged ......... its very hard to know!
I feed orphans I have had in the past 4-6 times a day if v strong......so you are ok there to be honest, little and often for the first week or so is good if you can manage it. Set up a heat lamp to keep him warm, feed warm sugary water rather than milk to keep up electrolites and help his tum recover, jab with antibiotics....get the farmer you got them from to come over and do it as you are new to sheep and he is likely to have a supply......see how he goes and if no better take to vet.

Unfortunately many orphans die due to unforseen and unknown issues......

I echo all of the above, we lost an orphan lamb last year that we had got from the mart, she was bouncing on the first and second day, third day, curled up in a ball, no interest in feeding, we took her to the vet as we were totally new to it and needed to know, she had watery mouth or rattle belly, whichever you want to call it, due to not enough colostrum at birth.  Poor thing had antibiotics and lasted with our care for another 17 days, if we had known enough we would have had her PTS as she was never going to make it. 

FIngers crossed he soon comes round to wanting his feed, keep us posted.

[horsemadmummy]

just fed lambs again he is quick enough to coe and greet with others and took 200mls of his feed.  checked temp seemed about right.  will see if he is better next feed and keep washing and drying his bot as i dont like thought of him having that his coat.  clearly he is not over indulging and i will keep it that way.  if he is 10 days old now what should i look for as far as his navel goes?

[Freddiesfarm]

If you squeeze his belly button it should be boring and normal.  If it is pussy or very red or smelly then it need anti-biotics.  Some times the lambs just feel a bit peeky and then are fine again later.  I have one on the bottle which sometimes just doesn't want dinner and then glugs a whole bottle in one sitting next time round!

[horsemadmummy]

would they be warmer if i move their pen into a corner of the barn where i have some ewes who are waiting to lamb?  surely their boby heat will keep things a lot warmer?  Any suggestions?

[doganjo]

I know nothing at all about sheep, but all baby animals need artificial heat for the first few weeks of their lives.  Their body temperature control mechanism doesn't kick in till then.  If you can keep him warmer than before I would say it's a good thing, especially as we have cold weather again.  Mainly keep them draft free I would say.

[horsemadmummy]

lambs are completely draft free in fact their pen has been insulated with straw bales to keep heat in.  i have made a fleece jacket for poorly boy and managed to get 4 feeds down him albeit 150mls a time.  his navel seems fine so i have to hope that the move etc has just over loaded his system and given time he will recover.  If he looks any worse tomorrow i will shout over the hedge to our vet!!