[Yeoman]

I have a three day old Cade lamb inside a 'barn' at the moment.  I have a bit of a plan regarding feeding generally which goes a bit like this: moving from warm to cold bottles then onto cold adlib and then introduce creep (together with adlib) from about a week old.

Do any of you good people have any suggestions about when and how to move her outside?

The back garden has been earmarked probably in a double sized movable pen to make sure she doesn't wander off!

Considerations:

a) Charlie fox

b) It's May and we are forecast for some mild weather but will she get cold without her ewe?  Will she be warm enough with a rain cover over part of the pen in a sheltered garden?

Obviously the aim is to get her back with her peers as soon as is right for her.

Your thoughts would be appreciated...

[Foobar]

The main problem I see is her being on her own.  If it were mine I'd have her inside initially with another family alongside for company.  Then once she is bottle trained get her outside with the rest of the flock.  She will run over to you with the bottle when its feeding time.  She will hang with the others then and be safer.


With regard to being warm or not, if she has a full belly then that will keep her warm.


Alternatively ... find yourself another cade .

[Yeoman]

Thanks Foobar.

Yes, I should have said in the original post that I was looking out for another cade.  I've spoken to several local shepherd contacts as well as using forums like this to find another cade but, being quite late in the season, most people have finished lambing.  Either that or their cades are doing well in their existing systems.

Things might change but I need to formulate a plan B just in case....

[Ladygrey]

Hopefully you are able to find her a friend I have several cades but they are shepherdess trained and all at 4-6 weeks of age

I have a shepherdess feeder (best thing ever) and I had 4 cades from mine and then bought in more to top it up to 12 (might aswel on the feeder)

As the power for the feeder is indoors and so is the feeder, the lambs stay on the feeder and get pulled off at 6-7 weeks of age to go outside and be weaned.

They are weaned at this age do to the risk of red-gut from gorging themselves as unlike mummy the shepherdess never says no. This year lambs on the shepherdess are comparable to lambs on mummies!! whearas in previous years bottle feds always look behind/identifiable as bottle feds.

Before when I have had lambs on the bottle I put them outside with the flock at 2-3 weeks of age, and just pop down to feed them 2-3 times per day, they learn to come running, drink then run back to the flock

[twizzel]

The main problem I see is her being on her own.  If it were mine I'd have her inside initially with another family alongside for company.  Then once she is bottle trained get her outside with the rest of the flock.  She will run over to you with the bottle when its feeding time.  She will hang with the others then and be safer.


With regard to being warm or not, if she has a full belly then that will keep her warm.


Alternatively ... find yourself another cade .

I don't put mine out until they are weaned. Grass plus milk plus creep could be a recipe for bloat, so I have them on milk and creep, then wean off milk then out onto grass and creep. Works for us. Mine are 6 weeks when they are weaned, they go out into the garden for a couple of hours built up to 24/7 and then out into the field roughly 8 weeks old. But I am probably overly cautious as we have a large badger/fox population, and they are feb/march born so still fairly cold, plus they can't go out until the grass is properly growing.

[Young Ed]

sorry to hijack your thread but are the sheperdess feeders heated or do you just fill it with cold lamlac or equivalent?
Cheers Ed

[Ladygrey]

It comes with a heating element, it sits in water underneath the bucket of milk wich "floats" in the water above the element, the water surrounds the heavy bucket of milk and heats it up, I keep the element turned low so the milk is just about warm, as if its too warm it goes sour quickly

Close to weaning time you can turn it right down or remove it so the milk is cold and lambs dont gorge, however I still keep it slightly warm as lambs will use up calories whilst the body is warming the milk up inside of them.

Its the best thing I have ever bought  so so pleased with it

[twizzel]

I love my shepherdess, it's invaluable at the beginning for the first month of life, however after about 7 days I take the heater element out and move them onto cold adlib milk, not only does it keep the feeder from going that off sour milk smell but it stops the lambs from over feeding as cold milk isn't as palatable as warm

[Yeoman]

So is the consensus is...

Put the lamb back out with the other ewes and lambs and continue the bottle feeds 4 times a day.

Seems a bit tough on the wee lamb - how old should it be?

[sophie_aj]

Is it a strong lamb? How big? I would judge it on those parameters. Don't forget unrelated lambs hang out an sleep together in the field for warmth too so as long as it's fit and healthy and of reasonable size there shouldn't be an issue.