Author Topic: Lonely pet lamb? (Read 2722 times)

Anke · « **on:** April 22, 2018, 09:48:21 pm »

I have a one-week old lamb that wasn't wanted by its mama... and so he currently bounces round my kitchen... question: Does it still makes sense to get him a friend (I had a 1st timer lambing twins earlier this afternoon, so could take the male lamb off her easily in the morning)? He (or they) will be moving to the goathouse as soon as possible (living next to kids) , as he is not that happy in the dog crate, but I can bring him/them back into the house for a wee while if they need night time feeds a little while longer - when do people let lambs go through the night? (It is quite a few years since I had a bottle lamb)

I have lakes of goats milk at the moment, so feeding cost and time (I bottle 9 kids 4x per day as well) are not an issue, and Walter (as named by my children) is already a wether, and any other boy joining him would be wethered too asap.

Fostering on wasn't an option at the time of his birth or shortly afterwards and I don't scan.

bj_cardiff · « **Reply #1 on:** April 23, 2018, 09:44:29 am »

why don't you put him with the goat kids, I think they'd get on fine. Failing that I'd keep him with a friendly ewe and her lambs for the first couple of weeks. Obviously need to be indoors overnight

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** April 23, 2018, 10:58:35 am »

I've had bad experiences with a solitary cade in a group of ewes and lambs - he may try to pinch off the ewes and they'll butt him. It's different if he's reared with them from the beginning, but personally I wouldn't put him in with ewes until he's weaned, at least.

He will make friends with the kids if that's his only option, but it's better for him to grow up with another of his own species if that's doable for you.

I usually only did nighttime feeds for a few days, then move to a late one just before I go to bed and get up a little bit earlier to do a very early one for a few more days. By a week or so they should be ok for seven or eight hours overnight. If it's convenient to make them wait less, it's better for them, no doubt, but I've reared loads this way and they've been fine. They have fresh water, hay/straw and creep available, and by a week old they will be starting to digest hay a little bit.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #3 on:** April 23, 2018, 12:52:01 pm »

I have one cade lamb this year but he's always been penned next to a bottle fed ewe lamb and her dam (mastitis). They go outside the shed in the day and he hangs around with them, then all go back inside overnight.

gingerpigs · « **Reply #4 on:** April 23, 2018, 02:27:36 pm »

Personally I wouldn't compromise a healthy lamb by taking it off its dam for the sake of an orphan. Keep it with the goatlings for a bit then put it with the flock, it will bomb over to see you when ever it spies a bottle!

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #5 on:** April 23, 2018, 02:39:36 pm »

Last year I took a triplet male kid of its mum because of teat damage, about the same time I had an orphan lamb given, reared together fine, sold the kid, took the lamb down to the other sheep. But what a nuisance, i think she thinks she is a goat, and always getting out, wriggles under the fence. But other than that, all went well.

Anke · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2018, 05:37:09 pm »

I think we have decided not to take a lamb off either of the two first timers, both had twins and are very much attached to their respective set. So in a few days Walter will move down to the goat shed and be penned next to two GG kids and we see how we go. I have no idea why the ewe decided she didn't like him, she loves the second one he had!

He is now on 400ml 5x a day, and hopefully I can cut out the 2.30am feed soon. Easier to do when he is in the utility room (we have a free dog crate as no dog just now), but I won't be trekking down to the goat shed and wake up all and sundry there in the middle of the night.... I have forgotten how bad night time feeds are!

bj_cardiff · « **Reply #7 on:** April 24, 2018, 06:51:55 am »

That's an awful lot of milk to be feeding - I know all different brands of milk have different rates to feed but my understanding is that its usually around the 1.5 litre at its most?

From week one to four my lambs will get 4 feeds of 350ml

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #8 on:** April 24, 2018, 09:24:31 am »

Anke is feeding goats milk, maybe you need more? I used to have to feed half as much again Jersey milk as powdered ewes milk.

But 400ml is a lot for a tiny stormach. If he’s young enough to be needing middle of the night feeds, I’d have thought 200-250 was plenty of volume per meal.

Anke · « **Reply #9 on:** April 24, 2018, 09:39:22 am »

He doesn't take the full 400ml every time, but I normally feed both my kids and the occasional lamb to appetite until about two weeks old - that is offering the bottle until I see they are full (it is usually quite obvious) and not forcing them to drink a certain volume. After two weeks most of them are on 500ml per feed, and that's 4x a day.

This lamb is quite sturdy and so far no signs of pot belly. He pees for Scotland though....

He took 400ml at 10.30pm last night and I got up at 5am this morning and he took 350ml then. He'll get another feed at 11am. I think I will cut his feeds to 4 a day for when he moves in with the kids, so he is on the same timetable. Also this lamb was not ill or anything, just battered by his dam as soon as he was born, so not compromised at all.

And yes I am on raw goatsmilk, produced on the farm.