[Anke]

How have you been feeding the rejected lamb? - if by bottle it will now be unlikely to suck from the ewe. Tubing is better at this early stage, and I have to say, in this situation I am not too gentle with the ewe - pin her to the side of the pen (I have a sflk txl X that behaves similar), hold with my knees (if need be tie her to the corner) and put the lamb as close as possible to the teat. They normally suck if done soon after birth.

However if the ewe now "lost" both of her lambs - she will have too much milk, and will need easing out. Otherwise mastitis is almost certain.

[feldar]

If you can skin dead lamb then i would, but leave tail on this is the bit mum smells the most.Or you may just be better to orphan this lamb off and bottle rear it. hand milking mum is hard work so it maybe better to dry her off by not milking her anymore just keep an eye on her udder for mastitis

[marie]

I couldnt skin the lamb, but did think about it. We are hand rearing him. He's doing very well at the moment and seems to be putting on weight. Thankyou for all your advice.. I'll keep you informed as to how he is doing.

[feldar]

That's great, good luck with him it is very rewarding rearing lambs and good experience for the future.

[Lostlambs]

I have a shetland ewe with 2 day old twins that rejected one. I'm now stantioning the ewe to allow him to feed. I tube fed the first day, hoping she will eventually give in to the fact she has 2 instead of one.She is an older ewe that usually only has one lamb so hope this works. great to find some ideas here

[horsemadmummy]

we have a shetlad first timer who though protective wont let her lamb feed - we milk her every couple of hours and feed this to lamb them when finished give lamblac as top up and also put lamb under her - hard work but I live in hope that they might both get the hang of it if I keep up - she was born early saturday morning and still with us and in pen with mum!  who is very protective but just wont let her feed.  We bottle fed colostrum and tube fed her early on day two when we had to bring her in to warm up by the aga when she was a bit flat.

Luckily our vet is next door - cost me a good bottle of red but great that he came round and helped get us sorted as we are first time lambers - shetlands are supposed to be so easy!!!!

[SallyintNorth]

horsemadmummy - I have had the same with Swaledale first timers, and not just once or twice.  Usually it has resolved after a day or two, especially where the ewe seems to love the lamb.  Where she gets cross with the lamb or even seems to actively dislike it it can take longer - once I persevered for a week before the ewe capitulated.  I have only occasionally given up, usually because I simply can't devote the amount of time to a single couple in a busy lambing period.  (I have been known to tie the ewe up with a halter, though never to leave the shed with anyone so tied up.  I often think about making an 'adopter' pen but have never quite gotten around to it...)

I wonder whether by now you would be able to get the lamb to suckle directly, rather than having still to milk mum and bottle baby; it would reduce your workload a little and help to get the ewe used to the feeling.

The other thing I sometimes do is have a woman-to-ewe conversation in which I explain that the sheep are not pets and that freeloaders don't get to stay on the farm.  The word "chops" is sometimes used in this conversation.  You would be amazed how many times it has worked... 

[marie]

Update on lamb. He is doing realy well. We had him inside with us for the first 4 days, then I put him in the stable with the other ewes but made a small pen for him. He seemed realy content. I put a box in for him with a blanket. I am still bottle feeding him. Then when I went down yesterday morning he had got out and joined up with one of the other ewes with her lambs. He seemed so happy to be out and with them i have left him with them. We all keep a check on him and give him his bottle, but so far he is realy happy and the other sheep have accepted him. He follows me after I have fed him but he soon goes off and finds the others. All being well he will continue to grow. 

[SallyintNorth]

That's great, marie. 

Only thing to watch out for now is that he isn't 'pinching' off ewes who can't spare any and whose own lambs then go short and/or she gets mastitis - hopefully there won't be a problem this year as there seems to be lots of grass and ewes are good and milky.

[marie]

He isnt suckling from any ewes. He waites for us to feed him. He has also got friendly with one of the rams, I will keep an eye on him though.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

You could rub the lamb with its mother's milk, or even if you want to adopt it onto another ewe, then it can be rubbed in the other ewes afterbirth, so she then thinks its her own lamb.
Hope this helps