Hi there
Firstly posting to say thanks to everyones advice regards bringing my ewes indoors, I managed to sort the barn and three have lambed happily and gone back out and two more ewes to lamb.
Looking for advice regards one ewe and her lamb.
A zwartbles gimmer who had NO tummy at all gave birth on Monday to a single ewe lamb,
this lamb was born very underweight and very very tiny weighing 1.5 kilo! (mum is in good condition so obviously just kept all the food for herself) every time she went to feed she just fell over so I have bottled her until she was strong,
She now weighs 2.8 kilo!
However I cannot get her to drink from her mummy now, mummy ewe has loads and loads of milk, (we have been milking her and feeding lamb) and ewe and lamb love eachother but cant seem to get lamb to drink from mum.
Is she still too small? or have I ruined her chances by feeding her
I put ewe and lamb out in the field with the others this morning as the weather is nice and I thought if she moves around and with other sheep it will help her bond with her mum more, her Mum adores her so its not the mum who is the problem.
If I stick little lamb underneath mum she instinctivley butts mums udder.
Maybe I am not leaving her long enough so she isnt getting hungry enough to try and suckle..
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Mummy and Tiny baby
Other huge lambies