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Author Topic: Feeding Lamb  (Read 7240 times)

velcro

  • Joined Aug 2008
Feeding Lamb
« on: April 02, 2009, 09:40:25 pm »
We are feeding a rejected lamb. This is the first time for us, I have read historical postings on the site re amounts of milk and frequency etc, thats all fine.
My question is how long should it take the lamb to take the milk on average at each feed, I don't want to encourage scouring by her feeding too quickly.
Also the mum that rejected her seems fine, no signs of mastitis or other problems. Is it best to just send her for meat am I right in thinking if we bred from her again the same thing is likely to happen.
Incidentally as a first timer I am pleased to report also a set of healthy twins, one single and two more ewes due anytime now.
Just waiting for the GOS on or around 4th April as well.   :pig: :sheep:

kaz

  • Joined Jul 2008
  • Ceredigion
  • Dust yourself off when life throws you down.
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2009, 10:26:31 pm »
Was the ewe a first timer? They sometimes reject their first lamb. I had one this year that had a black lamb and do you think she would let it feed. She was not aggressive with him so left him in the pen with her. Now nearly four weeks down the line he still has his bottle, but she also feeds him and he is definitely her boy.
I have had them reject their first lamb but are fine with subsequent lambings, but take advice on this from others before culling her.
Penybont Ryelands. Ystwyth Coloured Ryelands.  2 alpacas, 2 angora goats, 2 anglo nubian kids, 3golden retrievers a collie and a red fox labrador retriever, geese, ducks & chickens.

Pentre1230

  • Joined Apr 2009
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2009, 11:36:05 pm »
Every lamb is different, some get the hang of sucking early one and will finish off your bottle within a couple of minutes, others will mess around with there tongue and not get the hang of it and you may well have to keep stopping and starting feeding and could take you five minutes plus there is no hard and fast rule , I wouldn't worry about scouring with modern day milk powders as long as you follow the instructions/guidelines, just don't let them get a "pot belly" and distend there stomach, little and often at the beginning, working your way to more and less often.

I wouldn't cull her being her first time, you would be unlucky for it to happen again next year, if she has got a good udder and no mastitis, breed from her again, probably be twins next year!!     

velcro

  • Joined Aug 2008
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2009, 09:19:02 am »
Thanks for the feedback, another one arrived yesterday to a first timer we were worried to start with but she took to it after awhile. One more to go.
The bottle fed one is coming on in leaps and bounds - literally. Our 3 daft retrievers think shes another dog and the cat is terrified. (she is in a pen in the conservatory, hence the interaction) :sheep: 

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
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Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2009, 01:01:31 pm »
Have you tried them back together or is that not safe for the lamb - just curious as I don't know anything about sheep at all.
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

velcro

  • Joined Aug 2008
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2009, 04:32:41 pm »
We had them together for a good few hours, put her to the ewes teats etc but she just kept butting her away whenever she came close. It was not safe in the end for the lamb

Pentre1230

  • Joined Apr 2009
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2009, 05:17:02 pm »
You can try tying the ewe up, put a head collar on her or make one and tie her up with her head up high and make sure the lamb is hungry and put the lamb to her, if he is a strong lamb and with your help he'll learn and get the hang of it, trying milking a small amount of the ewes milk and rub it on the head and top of the tail of her lamb so when you let her off she can recognise her smell, once you get her milk coming through the lamb, she should be ok, also if you have a dog put it by the pen, that can kick the ewes mothering gene into play!!

It takes time and patience, ive know it take 6 weeks for a ewe to finally accept her own lamb!! Good luck and enjoy...   

Pigtails

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Scotland
    • 29brawl
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2009, 10:50:25 am »
We are hand rearing a rejected lamb, the ewe had a very difficult birth, we put the lamb to the ewe not long after birth, where the lamb managed only a little feed,
we believed the ewe and lamb had bonded, and left them to it,
the following day, there was no sign of the lamb and after thorough searching concluded the lamb was lost or dead.

About 36 hours after the birth, we found the lamb, wandering aimlessly among the other ewes, we again tried to reunite the lamb with her mum, but it was to no avail.

We brought the lamb into the shed and have been feeding her "Golden Frisky" ewe replacement milk as per instruction on the package,
the lamb fed well at first, she was alert, bouncy in a quiet sort of way, and appeared reasonably healthy for her age, but yesterday things started to go down hill rapidly.

The wee lamb is shivering constantly, despite having her own pen, with loads of lovely fresh straw,
she has blood in her stools, the blood is red blood, her water works are fine, but the stools are definately not.

We cannot get Hay, for love nor money in our area, we offered some sheep grain but she hasn't touched it and now she is refusing the milk.

Can anyone advise? she is such a lovely wee soul and did well to survive thus far, we really don't want to lose her.
Pigtails

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2009, 06:04:20 pm »
Vet time I think
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

Pigtails

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Scotland
    • 29brawl
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2009, 07:55:32 pm »
Vet time I think

Thankyou, I think you are right.
Pigtails

velcro

  • Joined Aug 2008
Re: Feeding Lamb
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2009, 09:02:53 am »
My hand reared lamb is just over 2 weeks old now, have been giving milk as per instructions and have just started introducing granules. However the other day I caught her eating the cat biscuits, naturally I have tried to stop her but she seems determined, will they hurt her ?
She is also becoming more fickle with her bottle now but she is healthy enough.
Still seems quite small though compared to her naturally reared cousins.
She comes outside and nibbles grass also.
I take her in to the others when I feed them but she has no interest in the other sheep, will this change.

 

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