[Anke]

How long do I have to leave a healthy, bouncy spare triplet in his pen before he can go out and join the rest of the flock (including his mother and two sisters, who were left on the ewe) without him trying to suckle the ewe? I don't want to have him on his own for too long and also would like to have growing up thinking he was a sheep rather than a dog.... I would of course still go out and bottle feed during the day and would hope he would be coming running to me for his drink.

[ballingall]

Did he ever suckle from his mum? Or did you give him a bottle straight away?



Beth

[Anke]

He was on the ewe for about 48 hours, but is now taking his bottle very well. In the meantime I've had another set of triplets, again two female and a male. The 2nd male is now in the "nursery" pen as of today and also  being put onto the bottle. I have not had any singles since these two were born, even one of the gimmers who I would have thought to have only one produced twins...

So now its not only all our excess goats milk, but Lamlac as well...

[MrsJ]

I would also be interested in the answer to this.  We have one lonely little girl that we had to tube and take inside as she was cold when newborn.  Then mum wouldnt have her back so we're bottle feeding.  We were hoping to put another one of triplets with her but sadly lost it earlier today.  She's dancing around the pen and is obviously keen to get outside.  I would love her to be able to run around with the others.  Do we build a small enclosure on to the field so that she can see the others but not get loose?  If we can get her on to an auto feeder, and let her out with the others, would she know to come back to it for food?  Would the other lambs use it (and cost us a small fortune in Lamlac?  so many questions, so little time!

[woollyval]

I was in this situation several years ago and I actually put the lamb out with all the others once it was a couple of weeks old and the weather was warm. Lamb was fed by bottle until 6 weeks and eating creep then weaned....grew a bit slower but caught up!
In 2001 in foot and mouth year I had 2 orphans, one died and I did the same....then we couldn't get anything to the abbatoir due to all the restricyions and when he eventually did go he was enormous!!!

[Anke]

Oh well I am now up to third set of triplets, so have three bottle ones. They are in a pen of their own (and block up one of my mothering pens!) and shout very very loudly for their food. Once all of mine have lambed I guess I can just let them into the field with the rest? This is probably still a couple of weeks away, as one of my old girls went to the tup three weeks after the main flock. I guess their mothers will by then not let the suckle anyway? 

Fun and games... but I wouldn't miss it for the world!

[ballingall]

Yep I would put them out with the rest. If they never suckled mum, then they are unlikely to associate mum with milk and instead look for you with the bottle. But in any case, even if they to have a suck, its likely the ewes will just bat them away.


Beth

[Hellybee]

Yep i agree, they l have a creep pen wont they, so they ll have plenty of munch. like the others have said the other ewws will send them packing and its much nicer that they are able to frolic with the rest of the lambs. If they anything like ours, they spend much more time adventuring than being with theyre mums anyway , bless

[sabrina]

I had a lamb that her mother would not feed but would protect her in the field. I kept her in for a couple of weeks and let her out on the lawn but once the days became warmer I let her join the flock. Her mum remembered her much to my surprise, I found her sleeping with mum most days but as far as lamb was concerned I was the food source. She grew very well and soon lost the pet lamb way of screaming every time she heard my voice. 

[Anke]

Thanks, will take them all out once lambing is finished. Just thinking about creep feed, I have not fed mine creep last year, as they are half shetland they are slower maturing anyway, and still managed to sell them before Xmas, most of them as light lambs, but good prices.

[MrsJ]

When you move from 4 hourly feeds to 6 hourly, do you do it suddenly, or gradually?  seems a bit mean to do it all of a sudden.  I've been trying to get my little orphan on the auto feeder but she's not keen.  I think she likes the company when she's fed.  Can't blame her really!

[Anke]

Don't know about that one, as mine are triplets rather than orphans, I left them on the ewe for the first day or two (and tube fed all three with top ups), then went to 4 feeds a day, 6am, 11am, 4pm and 9pmish. They have been fine.

[MrsJ]

Yep, wish I'd left mine with mum now.  Had to take her in as she was cold and a bit flat so warmed her and fed her, then decided she would be the one of three that would be bottle fed and took her back to the house.  Then decided she would be better off with the other sheep close by but by this time, mum would not have her back.  Sad really.  In future, will leave any triplet with mum if at all possible and top up all three, at least for the first couple of days.  We live and learn!

[Anke]

Even better if you could foster, but with only 15 ewes to lamb  (and therefore also difficult to organise scanning...) its nigh on impossible to get the right order (my singles were either before the triplets or two days after by which time they were on the bottle...)... so I am bottle-washer-upper for the next few weeks...

[MrsJ]

We let our little bottle fed lamb out on Saturday.  She loved it, bouncing around like she was on springs - it was so lovely to see.  She followed anything on two legs for the first day and bleated like mad if you left her,  She still comes running when anyone goes into the field but is happy to play with the other lambs too.  We are taking her into a pen in the barn at about 6pm every night for safety as she is still on the small side.