[sophie_aj]

I just wondered if any folk might share their routines for weaning bottle fed lambs: age, weight @ weaning, gradual/sudden etc.

[twizzel]

Mine are all on ad lib feeder until 4ish weeks old. At 4 weeks back to 2 500ml bottles per day, 5 weeks cut down to 1/2 bottle twice a day, wean at 5 1/2-6 weeks. By this point they are eating over 1/2 lb creep per head per day and lots of hay. Once weaned I put mine out to grass starting gradually for a couple of hours each afternoon building up to all day, then 24/7.

I know a lot of people wean later but I have seen a lot of lambs bloat and it's the most awful thing ever- I lost one this year and can only put it down to too much milk (it was the day before she was about to be cut down for weaning) and too much creep. I'd rather cut it out earlier and they take a slight check in growth... but they never do and always look well. Over the past 3 years I've had over 30 tame lambs and only lost 1 to bloat and that was this year.

[Hellybee]

we continue on with bottles later, they are currently still on three a day, we have a mixed range of ages.  after listening to sally on here i dont put feed down til an hour after milk, so they have three creep feeds a day, not lots but enough to sate them and they look very normal and are growing nicely.    they always have really lovely quality haylage that is more like hay.  and water changed twice a day.  we have raised nigh on twenty plus  Mollies like this, the oldest is now 4

[FiB]

Mine is 7 weeks on Monday, has been down to 2 500 ml bottles since 5 weeks with nut in the middle of day  ( he us out on grass with rest of flock ).... I am just debating weather to go   2  250 ml bottle. Or drop one of the bottles.  I prefer gradual, but no knowledge to,support!.....

[sophie_aj]

Current situation mine are 5 weeks -  4 x 250ml (+/- bit extra). Ad lib but one on the bottle so not sure what the best plan is for weaning. Probably going to cut down to 3 feeds soon.

[just one lamb who hasn't been well and been behind the rest of them - kind of want to keep her on a bit longer but maybe that's silly. she weighs 6.9kg, and only really takes 200ml a feed +- 50ml 4 x daily but she is nibbling creep - this is kind of cross posting, but maybe she'd be better on less milk - less chance of aspiration]

 

[SallyintNorth]

Oops, I answered about your one poorer lamb on your other thread

Bit unsure of how to play the weaning situation as I can't split them up.

I make a pen within a pen, or lift out the lamb I still want to feed, and just carry on bottling the one(s) I don't want to wean yet.  You'll be surprised; after a day or two the other lambs will soon realise they're not getting any and stop pestering.  You can then just bottle the one you want in the pen, pushing the others away if they do come up.

[SallyintNorth]

Please can I refer you all to this excellent explanation of the causes of bloat written by jaykay recently.

Personally I prefer to give them 3 x 350ml feeds rather than going up to 500ml until and unless I am quite sure they have room in the abomasum for 500 ml at a time.  This reduces the risk of the abomasum overflowing and letting milk into the rumen, which as described by jaykay is one of the ways bloat can be caused.

At the moment I am keeping mine on 3 x 350ml to about 6 weeks, then dropping one feed every other day for a week.  I like the way this works; I take them fresh creep - not too much! - when they are expecting that missing bottle feed, and they eat the cake because they are hungry and I haven't taken them a bottle . 

Starting the following week I give them just the two bottles every day, with cake in between as above, then drop one more bottle and stop milk at 8 weeks provided I am sure they are eating plenty of cake and hay

All timings are approximate.

[Jukes Mum]

Interesting. I am getting 2 bottle fed lambs tomorrow aged 9 weeks and 7 weeks (ish). I will give them a small bottle for a few days, but intend to wean them. They have grown up out at grass. They will be straight out to grass here (lots of it!). Do they need any extra feed/cake/creep?

[SallyintNorth]

I generally do like them to be eating cake - to replace the protein in the milk.  Other lambs at grass will still be getting mum's milk, usually for another couple of months.

[sophie_aj]

Yes, that will work fine (essentially that's what I'm doing anyway re. separately feeding).

With this wee lamb do you reckon I should just keep working with the amount of feeds she needs to get ~1litre milk (despite the fact that she is nibbling creep). I guess small feeds are better for her (given that she's not much bigger from some new born singles I lambed this year!

The others could happily be on 3 feeds a day I feel.

[SallyintNorth]

It sounds as though she needs smaller feeds, and perhaps one more than, your others, yes.

[sophie_aj]

Thanks for the support