Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: poorly lamb - part two  (Read 4147 times)

horsemadmummy

  • Joined Feb 2010
poorly lamb - part two
« on: March 15, 2011, 09:09:22 am »
poorly boy seems to be holding his own but clearly due to him being off colour for 2/3 days the others have overtaken him.  They are fattening up (rather filling out) but when his jacket is taken off he is still rather thin and he is a really big leggy lamb. 

Question

he is now taking 4 x 250ml feeds and will be 2 weeks old tomorrow is there any benefit in giving him some powdered colostrum?  will it give him a boost?  or is there anything else i might try?

giving the bottle means I can keep track of who gets what but the others are all over the creep feed and haylage  he is more timid and i want to make sure i help him.

he seems bright enough in himself and calls to me with the others when i go into the sheds.

Freddiesfarm

  • Joined Jan 2010
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2011, 03:20:09 pm »
Colostrum only works in first few hours of life.  You could give him more milk.  My lot (4 lambs) are now having about 7 litres a day between them.  Still keep to 4 feeds but try and give him more if he will take it.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2011, 08:12:47 pm »
I think he needs more than a litre a day. My goatkids (1 week old today) are getting nearly a litre and a half per day now.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2011, 01:29:56 am »
As said, colostrum only works for the first few hours of life, which is why it's so important to make sure lambs feed quickly.  After about 6-12 hours colostrum can no longer be absorbed through the gut wall, so no point in feeding it to your lamb, and it could give him scours.
I don't use creep feed, but can anyone else say if he is old enough to try that?
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

ellisr

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • Wales
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2011, 05:53:16 am »
If he is fed by the bottle you will find good guidelines on the back of the milk bag ref feeding creep to bottle fed lambs. I normally put creep in when they are 5 days old and they start eating it at about a week and a half old make sure you have water in with them cattle drinkers are good as they can't get in and drown in them. I have a little paddock which I use for ewes with lambs for a couple of weeks to make sure everyone is feeding well I also pop the orphans in there to play during the day it gives them good excersise and they mix eith other lambs and ewes which will make it easier when they go out

horsemadmummy

  • Joined Feb 2010
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2011, 07:57:24 am »
lamblax says to increase amount from 1L to 1.5L assume that I should do this gradually over a few days ie increase volume in one  feed then another the next and so on so increase over 4 days or do I just do it from today?  I dont want anyone to get a poorly tummy from over doing it!  again!!!

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2011, 09:25:12 am »
No matter what you are feeding - dogs, cats, sheep you would always do things gradually, whether it is volume or a change of diet.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

horsemadmummy

  • Joined Feb 2010
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2011, 09:38:26 am »
will do I started with first feed today as i knew they would be hungry and byuild it up one feed a day that way

THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE  WHO HAS OFFERED ADVICE
« Last Edit: March 16, 2011, 09:57:15 am by horsemadmummy »

pikilily

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Do what you enjoy; And enjoy what you do!!
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2011, 10:04:13 am »
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
You are welcome!!
ET
If you don't have a dream; how you gonna have a dream come true?

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2011, 01:15:21 pm »
And DO give us a progress report and photos every now and then.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

horsemadmummy

  • Joined Feb 2010
Re: poorly lamb - part two
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2011, 01:22:12 pm »
safe to say that poorly boy is now as enthusiastic about bottles as the rest of the boys - I have kept him in his fleece jacket for now so that all his energy is spent getting better and bigger rather than keeping warm although temps down here are about 11 degrees at the mo!!!!

Will try and put a couple of pics on in the next day or so to show you them all.

 

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