[Hillview Farm]

This lambing I am thinking about having ago at rearing some lambs. I have access to a large amount of lambs for free! Though I might add I don't want too many! I would like to rear them as cost effective as possible.

I don't think I'll be getting a automatic lamb feeder thing as they seem pretty expensive.

How long are they on milk for until weaning?
How many feeds a day?
How much in one feed?
Prices of milk powder?
Anyone use whole cow milk?

Any suggestions welcome 

[Carse Goodlifers]

Although I don't have any sheep of my own - my memories of lambing for five years on a friends farm are still with me.

I fear that a lamb feeder may be the way to go - check online auction sites, go to farm autions/roups, online sale sites - you should be able to pick one up for a good price.
By having one, you then wont be stuck for ages feeding them by bottles.
If bottle feeding - 3, 4, 5 feeds a day.  The bigger the lamb gets the more they will need and the more time it will take. I would seriously consider the feeding machine.

I've seen lambs picking at barley, protein pellets and hay at about 2-3 weeks old.

Prices of milk powder - I'd say that the bigger the bag the cheaper it is.  Shop around farm supply shops for prices - they may have deals on it nearer lambing.

Hope that helps.

[Hillview Farm]

Thank you for your advice.

My other problem is that we do not currently have no electric so the auto feeder wouldn't be able to heat the milk

[zarzar]

we bottle feed till 2 weeks and then go onto a cold system(adlib) on one of the blue teat buckets we leave them on milk for a few months(especially the smaller ones they stay on and extra month. seems to work well and saves alot of time feeding them all idividually although there still the odds ones we do bottle feed. where abouts are you based.

[twizzel]

Mine are on a shepherdess from as soon as I am sure they are sucking properly until about 4 weeks. At 4 weeks I take it out as they are normally emptying it soon after it goes in. They go onto a 500ml bottle twice a day for week 4-5 and then 250ml twice a day at 5 weeks and then wean abruptly at 6 weeks.


Creep feed in at 1 week old and they will pick at it almost immediately. We creep feed until about 12 weeks when they go out onto good grass. This year I mixed the ration of creep with some sugar beet which bulked it out and they didn't bloat on it like they do barley (don't feed it, it's tempting but fatal!)


We'd go through about 10-15kg of powder per lamb with a 20kg bag of milk powder £36. About 25kg creep per lamb.


We reared our lambs last year on proper lamb milk powder and creep like we always do, alongside  some lambs reared on cows milk powder and minimal creep (that weren't ours). Ours finished better, carcass weight was better, they were leaner and finished quicker, better conformation and well covered (the cows milk lambs were very pot bellied).


It's worth it, I couldn't be without our shepherdess feeder now. Ours are finished at 7 months, all commercial cross lambs. The shepherdess is great because a. They are on a more natural ad lib system and reduces pot bellied lambs, and they seem to wean slightly earlier- some of ours weaned at 5 1/2 weeks this year, plus they weren't quite as tame as they normally are- tame enough but still a bit skittish!

[roddycm]

I reared my two orphans this year on cows milk straight from the dairy down the road which I got for free. I fed them 4 times a day 500ml each time (2 L each per day) and they grew very well, they looked just like the lambs reared by the ewes. I let them out in a paddock all day, so basically I reared them for free... Free milk and free grass. Cow milk has less fat so they need a bit more but I didn't feed creep. I'll never buy milk replacer again while I have access to free cows milk now that I have seen how they thrive on it!

[verdifish]

Buy a goat for every 2 lambs ,job jobbed !

[SallyintNorth]

As others have said, they'd need a higher volume of cows milk over powdered.  I feed 150%, but that's Jersey milk.  200% is probably a better multiplier for 'ordinary' cows' milk.

If you do feed cows' milk, or half-and-half cows' and powdered, you must use raw unprocessed milk.  Not pasteurised, not homogenised, not sterilised.

The instructions on the packets of powdered milk work, so start your calculations there.  Some of them are up to 1L per lamb per day, some are 1.5L.  Most will suggest you wean at 6 weeks, I prefer 8.  And don't wean until they are eating at least 1/2lb cake per head per day, as they must eat cake to replace the nutrients in the milk; at that age they can't get all they need from grass.

[Hillview Farm]

Thank you very much for all of your replies and valuable information.

I think I am going to convert one of out old calf barrel feeders by making it shorter and putting lamb teats onto it. It will hold a lot of milk also.

I think I may feed half lamb powder and half whole cow milk. We have Guernsey's so very high fat and also have access to high butterfat herd at another farm. Sally, out of interest do you know your butterfat %?

Twizzle thank you very much for your break down! Very useful indeed.

[SallyintNorth]

Sally, out of interest do you know your butterfat %?

I don't, no, sorry.  Quite a bit more than 4% !

[Hillview Farm]

I can believe it! All I know is we get a lot of cream on top of our milk overnight!

[Hevxxx99]

I raised 6 lambs at a time by feeding them 4 times a day, reducing gradually to larger feeds less often and creep feed offered ad lib from 2 weeks. They had a heat lamp to start.  I rigged up a bottle holder made of wire mesh panels (and the inevitable baler twine) that meant I could insert the (coke) bottles and leave them to it after a few days of them getting the hang of it.  They were fed first thing in the morning, twice in the day and again last thing at night.  It was very little effort really.  The most onerous part was ensuring everything was thoroughly cleaned and weighing out the milk powder!

[Azzdodd]

I think the price of powder will be even higher this year the demand was so high for orphans. I've only ever had 4 2 I reared in the garden feeds 4 times a Day on goats milk and 2 a nanny goat reared. I defiantly think if you can get raw milk cow or goat it will make your job easier mixing bottles is no fun lol