Author Topic: Suffolk Lamb stubborn feeder (Read 4458 times)

ScotsGirl · « **on:** February 10, 2014, 07:28:53 pm »

We had a Suffolk lamb Saturday night while we were out. She was a first timer and was ignoring her first lamb possibly because she had another stuck.

Anyway we penned them up and I re-arranged and delivered the big second lamb. Mum didn't want to get up and made no effort to clean her babies. I bottle fed some artificial colostrum and expressed some from mum for 2nd lamb. Amazingly the first little ewe lamb was a real fighter and has fed well. Her brother however was a bit traumatised like mum and not strong enough so I have bottle fed him a few times in the hope he will go looking for mums milk.

Question is, will he ever feed from her as she is ignoring him? He puts his head under but not very interested in finding the teat and when we put it in his mouth he half heatedly sucks but then drops it. Very keen on the bottle though!

Sbom · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2014, 07:34:08 pm »

He needs to be hungry to feed off her so stop the bottle and try putting her teat in his mouth when he's really hungry and you'll probably have more luck

ScotsGirl · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2014, 08:11:05 pm »

I have tried leaving him and he has only had about 50-100ml at 5pm since midday. I don't want to leave him with an empty belly overnight so planned on trying him again I the next hour or two then give him a bottle to see him through if he doesn't get sucking.

After all the effort I don't want to lose him. How long can he survive without food?

shep53 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2014, 08:12:47 pm »

He needs to realise that the teat means milk , a bottle is easy to squirt milk into his mouth , as said he needs to be hungry then squirt milk from mams teat into his mouth see if his sucks if not repeat again and again , all the time trying to keep the teat full of milk , perseverance .

Foobar · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2014, 09:09:44 pm »

Supplement him via a stomach tube rather than bottle. Then put him on her teat every time he's hungry. I think the sucking from a bottle will put him off sucking from the teat.

ScotsGirl · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2014, 01:11:07 pm »

We are making slow progress with him. If teat is forced in his mouth he sucks for a bit then drops off so until stronger we are continuing with bottle.

My concern is he keeps shuffling round on his knees and looks quite hunched up. He is peeing and had some dark poo pass (meconium passed out ok). Is this just a lazy Suffolk thing or a sign of trouble?

Foobar · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2014, 01:50:13 pm »

Does he suck more strongly from the bottle than he does from the teat?

ScotsGirl · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2014, 03:03:22 pm »

Yes. And he is happy to play with teat and put in his mouth whereas mum's teat is a bit small and floppy so sucks around it but doesn't grab hold.

We have just lost a goat kid so now going to take some milk from goat to feed lamb as she has loads.

Foobar · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2014, 03:17:16 pm »

I would suspect that he's just got used to the bottle teat now rather than mum's teat.
If he looks out of sorts check his temperature etc.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2014, 04:07:23 pm »

Feel his stomach - it should feel round and full and quite firm. If not he's hungry, which is probably why he looks hunched. I'd say keeping him alive is the main consideration, just keep putting him on the teat before you offer the bottle and he'll probably get the idea, especially when he sees his twin suckling.

Sbom · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2014, 09:15:34 pm »

You need to squeeze milk into the teat and keep hold so the teat stays full and put it into the lambs mouth. You can then squeeze abit in so he gets the idea but keep hold of the teat so it stays full, it may take a few minutes but if he's hungry enough he will soon catch on. Stubborn little thing they are!