Author Topic: Mixing orphan lambs (Read 3655 times)

Possum · « **on:** March 28, 2014, 01:56:42 pm »

A couple of weeks ago I took on a couple of orphaned jacob lambs. Sadly one of them died yesterday leaving a rather lonely ram lamb who is two and a half weeks old. To keep him company I am thinking of bringing in two other orphans from a farm that I know quite well. They are 4 weeks and 6 weeks old and are southdowns so will be quite a bit bigger than the jacob lamb.

I am worried that, if I put them in the same stable as the smaller lamb, they will be a bit too boisterous and will overwhelm him. Should I put a hurdle in the middle of the stable for a few days to separate them, or am I worrying unnecessarily?

twizzel · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2014, 02:06:46 pm »

I've got 6 and 8 week olds in with each other, they have been together since 3 and 5 weeks. They are fine, the only thing I would watch is if they are on an ad-lib feeder the older lambs might be stronger and knock the younger lambs off the feeder, but if on bottles they will be fine.

Possum · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2014, 03:00:14 pm »

They are on a feeder but it has three teats so I think it will be alright.

twizzel · « **Reply #3 on:** March 28, 2014, 03:02:08 pm »

Ah they will be fine then! The only issue you may have is weaning the 2 older lambs before the younger one- the 6wk old lamb should be weaned now or within the next week as it should be eating creep well now and drinking water, so I would think it's best in this case to take the feeder out and feed the other 2 on bottles now, then you can wean them off gradually as they approach 6 wks too.

jaykay · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2014, 03:11:43 pm »

I've just added a 3 week old orphan lamb to the 7 week old one I had foisted onto me a week ago.

The 3 week old is of course still on milk. The 7 week old was pretty much onto creep and hay, but has now decided that he too wants milk (having refused it consistently for the past week

). Not a problem really, I shall just let him have longer on it and wean him when I wean the younger one.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2014, 03:45:27 pm »

Southdowns are about the most docile breed of sheep - at that age even the ram lambs should be fine.

twizzel · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2014, 04:59:59 pm »

Jaykay just watch the older lamb- at 7 weeks old it's creep intake will be increasing and creep plus milk can cause redgut which will kill them. I would keep him on creep and hay regardless of whether he wants milk- I used to work in a kids farm park that had 30 pet lambs born in March and they were still on milk in September because bottle feeding was part of the daily visitor schedule- they won't wean themselves and it's better to wean slightly earlier than later and risk losing them to bloat/red gut.