[cluckyclaire]

I have 6 orphan lambs which i bought at the farmers market about a week and a half ago. The smallest ewe lamb developed a bit of a sniffle/runny nose after the first couple of days which i put down to the stress of the market, move and everything. However now one of the others had started as well. Both are feeding well and run around madly as lambs do. Is there anything i should do/give them or is it just a bit of a cold?

Claire

[ScotsGirl]

Are you keeping them inside or are they in a field?  They are prone to pneumonia if kept in but my medical knowledge is limited on lambs.  Might be worth asking your friendly vet as they may need a dose of antibiotic.  They will go downhill rapidly so don't leave it too long.

If in a dusty environment this may make them sniffly or  may be getting cold as you don't say how old they are.

Hope they pick up.

[cluckyclaire]

They are in a pen outside although they do have a little shed which they get shut in at night as there are foxes around. They have a deep bed of straw in the shed and grass outside. The pen isn't huge but they do come out a couple of times a day for a run around. When they are older enough they will go out in the field with the 3 ewes i hand reared last year.

Not sure on excat ages but i would say the 2 with runny noses are only a couple of weeks old and the youngest of the bunch - the first one to show syptoms was tiny when i got her and i would guess was only a day or 2 old at the time but she is growing in line with the rest. The other was a bit bigger when we got him but i would guess he wasn't much older.

Claire

[jembo]

There are a few things to check:
1/ Is their mouth warm?
2/ Take temp - should be between 39 - 40 degrees.
3/ Are you feeding warm milk or cold?
4/ Do they have good ventilation in the shed?
5/ How often is it completely cleaned out?
6/ Are they scouring?
7/ Do they have access to fresh water?
8/ Are they on creep and hay yet?

Generally I would say if they are eating and drinking normally and not scouring then they should be fine. Taking the temp will tell you if they have an infection. Any of my lambs that are poor get a dose of kick start twice a day. If it is to do with the gut not working when you introduce creep, then i drench with a ground ginger and water mixture and skip a milk feed. Probiotics or live yoghurt is also good for tummy upsets.

Also watch out for cocci if they are going off food and scouring.

 

[supplies for smallholders]

As above, but could be a slight chance of nasal bots.

Thanks

[cluckyclaire]

Hi thanks for the help so far. Their mouths are always warm whenever they try and suckle from my fingers and the are fed warm lamlac. No sign of scours. Plenty of ventilation in the shed which is cleaned weekly - more often if needed but dosen't seem to need it at the moment. There is creep and water avaliable as a couple of the lambs we bought are older but i don't think the 2 affected are interested in it yet (at least i've never seen them looking at trying it!)

All in all they seem fine other than having a bit of a runny nose. The first to be affected does seem a little less snoty last night and this morning so hopefully they are getting over whatever it was.

Claire