[crobertson]

Sorry for another question - we didn't have half this trouble last year!

I have a 24 hour old single tup lamb, beautiful lamb but he's not interested in suckling. He did suckle off mum shortly after birth, mum is fab, didn't stop cleaning him, very protective, tries to nudge him towards her teats but he just stands there clueless!

I checked on him about 1.5 hours after birth and he seemed very cold (temp 38 degrees) so warmed him up, put straw bales around the pen to make sure no draft was getting in and milked some colostrum off mum and fed it to him - he would have it in a bottle with teat but didn't have masses... did it again later on in the night on his temp was pretty normal first thing this morning. Spoke to the vet also gave us an antibiotic injection to protect again watery mouth and he's had kick start yesterday and today. He has warmed up since but every time I check on him hes just lying down and I've never seen him go and suckle himself. I checked him just and he was standing up (in the same spot him normally lies) feels warm to touch (got a little jacket on) so I put him under mum who also encourages him, but nothing, he just stands there, milked mum so there was some milk on the teat and put it right to his mouth but again stands there clueless.

Am I just being over cautious about him not getting enough milk and hes just simply not hungry ? He's not cold anymore, doesn't bleat but hes not active either just chilled out lying down every time I check him. I suppose he may of fed before I check but it seems unlikely when he makes no attempt to suckle when I put him under mum.

Any ideas what to do ?

[Womble]

As well as feeling if he's warm, have a feel of his tummy. If it's round and fat, he's probably getting milk when you're not looking.

[SallyintNorth]

As Womble says, the key things to check are:

• convex tummy - hold him up by his front legs and look at and feel his tummy.  If it's convex around and below the navel, he's feeding.  If it's hollow he's not feeding enough.
• on waking does he stretch
• when standing is he hunched or standing square and looking happy
• is he cold - check ears and put a finger in his mouth

When newborn and with mum they will take very little very often, so it's entirely possible he's feeding when you're not there.  If he's warm and has a convex tummy, then that's what's going on.

[shep53]

Check the mothers udder if he's suckling it should be soft on at least one side . if necessary milk the mother and tube the lamb . Some times if the teats have solid plug in the end the lamb try's   to suckle but gets nothing so then gives up and has to be re taught by sticking the teat in his mouth and squirting milk in

[Anke]

Does he do the "contented stretch" when you poke him to get him up? If yes, he's feeding. I would also think if he is 24 hours old, warm (finger in his mouth doesn't feel cold?) and only had a little from the bottle/tube he must be taking enough from the ewe. He would probably be dead otherwise. My Shetland lambs often suckle in secret... and I rely on the stretch and body temp.

[crobertson]

Thank you guys!

 I went to check on him as soon your response for advice he was still lying down, not really doing anything, not interested in suckling mum. I've checked the lamb many times, since he's had a little coat on he's really warmed up today, inside his mouth , ears and to the touch he is warm. He didn't do a typical stretch but his stomach did look round ....... anyway I forgot my phone so nipped back in to get it a few mins later and he was up, walking around, suckled off mum and decided to play around in some hay ....... little monkey !! I've been worried about him all day !!

[bj_cardiff]

Little bugger glad it was all ok!

I've had a couple of 'lifeless lambs' this year that won't suckle or look for milk and just stand around aimlessly, or lie flat out on their sides in the middle of the pen. I put them straight under a heat lamp for a couple of hours and then give colostrum and put them back with their mums. Sometimes it doesn't work and they need to be hand reared.

If their curled up asleep I tend not to worry, but lying on their sides isn't generally a good sign

[Womble]

Oh well, after me getting all  smug earlier and offering you advice, I've got one now too! He won't even suck my finger.

Have you ever had a lamb,
Who just won’t suck, although he can? 
Who stands and shivers
Cold and hungry
Or sits and bleats
With empty tummy

He would not suck her lovely tits
He was having none of it.
 
Although I shoved one in his gob
(to Mum’s disgust, ungrateful sod).
 
In the end I got the lube,
Milked out his mum,
And through a tube
 
Poured it down his tiny throat
And now he’s sleeping
Poor wee scroat.
 

[pharnorth]

[member=2128]Womble[/member] that is wicked. The last few weeks in a verse.

[SallyintNorth]

Thank you guys!

 I went to check on him as soon your response for advice he was still lying down, not really doing anything, not interested in suckling mum. I've checked the lamb many times, since he's had a little coat on he's really warmed up today, inside his mouth , ears and to the touch he is warm. He didn't do a typical stretch but his stomach did look round ....... anyway I forgot my phone so nipped back in to get it a few mins later and he was up, walking around, suckled off mum and decided to play around in some hay ....... little monkey !! I've been worried about him all day !!

We have literally all been there.  Glad he’s okay

[Womble]

We have literally all been there.

I'm still there! That's 24 hours now - she just doesn't seem to have that 'suck' reflex.

Any bright ideas folks?

[shep53]

Teat on bottle with hole big enough so it dribbles al little , into mouth , hand under bottom jaw  to close fairly tightly and release , repeat  and keep going  . Best to use its mothers milk so it gets  the taste and keeps her milk flowing  .   Then if it finally sucks the bottle  put this under the mother and slowly try to transfer to the teat .   I know its difficult but if its hungry it may help suck  ,if its full from tubing then it has no need to suck . Time and effort , we've all had one like this

[SallyintNorth]

we've all had one like this

Yup.  Might be worth giving some i/m vitamins, sometimes a deficiency suppresses appetite

[Womble]

Actually, I'm pretty sure I know what's happened to this one.

After she was born, I left her alone with her Mum to bond uninterrupted for half an hour or so. When I came back, she was dripping blood from her umbilical cord, and had clearly lost quite a bit.

I tried to seal it with an elastrator band to begin with, but when that didn't work, I raided the kitchen for a bag clip. The cord above the clip initially blew up like a balloon (see attached photo), but has now dried up as usual.

Anyway, I think that goes some way to explaining why this one's a bit slow on the uptake. We let her get hungry today, and she halfheartedly took a bit from a bottle, so at least we're moving in the right direction.

Does anybody know why this might have happened?

[SallyintNorth]

Might it have been over-zealous cleaning by the mother?  Ex-BH had a cow once was nearly on the way to eviscerating its calf...