[Hillview Farm]

Can it be done successfully? I remember someone saying to me once that a ewe that has Lambed a week previously can still take any foster lamb by putting your hand in and stimulating her to think shes had another.

I have a bucket of birthing fluid from a ewe with a single.

Think I'll work?

[SallyintNorth]

If you're trying to get a second lamb onto a ewe that's been rearing one for a week already, then no, no chance.

If you're trying to get a foster lamb onto a bereaved ewe, so one that's lambed but has no lambs to rear, after a week, there's every chance it'll work.  No point sticking your hand up her at this stage, though, but if you pen her with the lamb and help the lamb to feed every 4-6 hours, she will probably take it.  If she's aggressive at first, keep the lamb in a box nearby and help it feed every 4-6 hours until she starts to settle.  Gradually start to leave the lamb with her - stay nearby so you can intervene if she does get aggressive, and/or have a creep/safe area where the lamb can get to safety.  It may take several days, up to a week, but they usually do love the lamb in the end.  (And it's usually one of the strongest bonds, too, for some reason.)

The thing about hand up and birthing fluids is when you have a single due to lamb and a lamb you want to foster.  Catch the newborn as it comes out, thoroughly cover the foster lamb in the fluids, especially over its head and ears, and its tail and under its tail, give her the foster lamb first.  After a wee while, gently insert your (clean and lubricated!) hand to give her the sensation of another lamb coming out, and present her with the original lamb.

If she's a first-timer, and a motherly breed like a Mule, I find you just need to cover the foster lamb with fluids and can give her both lambs together - she knows no better and is full of love anyway .  But more experienced ewes can take a bit more fooling.

Some people hobble the foster lamb so it flops about like a newborn . 

If you do do this, fostering a lamb onto a single mum, keep an eye on feeding at first - you want the foster to suckle to reinforce the developing bond, but you want to be sure her own lamb gets a full ration of colostrum, so you may need to hold the foster lamb back to stop it drinking her dry!

IME, trying to foster a second lamb onto a mother that has already bonded with her own is a complete non-starter.  You have to do it within moments of birth, or it's too late.