[jayne]

Does anyone out there know if it's possible to feed lambs cows milk?

[morri2]

Yes, but only if desperate - its better to get some Lamlac or other ewe milk replacement from the farm supplies or the vets.

[shep53]

Yes you can but powdered lamb milk is better for them. My next door neighbour who is organic reared 14 lambs last year on jersey milk lambs did really well. Before powdered lambs milk came on the market 1970s i think, all lambs had cows milk or powdered calf milk we used to feed new borns cows milk heated with a poker and an eggput in. I once saw 4 lambs suckling on a jersey cow.

[SallyintNorth]

Well I had always heard that cows milk would not do the job but then a friend who had Jerseys on his dairy farm kept a couple of favourite girls on when he sold up and uses the milk for the house and the pet lambs.  He says he's always reared his pet lambs on Jersey milk, never given them anything else (milk-wise) and they've always done fine.

So this year I am seeing what my Jersey's milk does for my pet lambs.  6 in the pet box at the mo, all going great guns so far.  I am having to get some powdered lamb milk though, so that I can get any that will be sold to new homes used to what they'll be getting there.  (If I don't sell any I'll need to wean both Hillie's calves, so it's better if I can find new homes for these to make room for those to come - we're only lambing the first 80 of our total 276 so far!)