[Jana Hefner]

  I'm new at this and could use some advice with an orphan lamb: I am feeding a milk replacer.  The lamb is now 16 days old and is quite active and friendly.  He will consume about 32 ounces of milk split into 4 feedings per day, and he is gaining weight.  I've noticed that he is sneezing/coughing? quite a bit and has a slight rumble sound sometimes when he breathes. He does not have a snotty nose, but he does have a very runny stool.  Should I be concerned?  Is it recommended to treat him with a medication?  I hear people talking about introducing creep feed.  What is it and how do you introduce it?  I have tried cutting up orchard grass hay very fine, crushing up wet cob, crushed oats, live grass - but he's not interested.

[gingerpigs]

I would ring the vet and describe the symptoms. If she thinks pneumonia they will prescribe an antibiotic which you can give yourself, usually an injection. If you haven't done it before, take the lamb to the vet (cheaper than call-out) and ask them to show you so you know for next time. Don't delay.
Go to agricultural merchants and ask for a bag of creep feed for lambs, cost around £7 for 20 kilos, put a little in a dish and every day throw out old (give to hens) and replace with fresh. Make sure the lamb has plenty fresh air and is not kept somewhere stuffy or dusty or with freezing cold blasting wind. Ask your vet about heptavac.
Please let me know how you get on.

[nimbusllama]

Hi Jana
Sorry no-one has greeted you and responded to your questions.  I have not had an orphan lamb for many years, but I am sure someone will be along shortly to give you some help.  Welcome to the forum 

[pharnorth]

Hi Jana,  welcome to the forum. You will get more and faster advice if you ask your question on the sheep section below as more people will see it. If the lamb is active and friendly and gaining weight you are on the right track. Creep feed is cereal formulated for lambs. When formulated for sheep it is referred to as sheep nuts if it is pellets or coarse mix if it is not.  You can buy lamb creep either as small pellets (smaller than sheep nuts) or coarse mix, or feed a ram coarse mix. Some people refer to all of these solid foods as cake. You introduce it by having it available to the lamb, a small tray with a handful in and watch to see if it starts to disappear. I have an ewe with triplets so they have been introduced to creep and are top up bottle fed twice a day.  This is to take burden from the ewe as 3 is too much for her. Creep isn't essential for bottle fed lambs, you need it if you want the lamb to grow quickly(eg for the freezer!) or you want to wean it off the bottle as early as you can. You don't say where you are keeping your lamb but the best way to get it eating grass is to let it out to graze on some.  You don't need to bother chopping stuff up, they can do that themselves. Suggest you check in the sheep section on the runny poo and coughing, there have been a couple of threads on it recently.

[bj_cardiff]

Just a few basics. I assume that your feeding a proper sheep milk replacement? Sometimes people can use the wrong one. Follow the mixing instructions and amount on the back of the sack to the letter. I wonder if the sneezing happens when he's drinking? If so it could be that the teat has too big a hold and he's choking on it, or its going down the wrong way. There's a bit of mixed thinking about whether to offer creep or not, some people worry that it can ferment with the warm milk. I would and I've never had a problem but  I would gradually reduce the temperature of the milk so that your feeding it at 'room temperature'.

[Lesley Silvester]

Hi Jana and welcome to TAS. It's a very friendly and helpful place on this forum and you will get lots of advice. I don't know much about sheep but lots on here do.