[Womble]

This may be a daft question, but I'm sure I'm not alone in this!

When tubing lambs, I'm always relieved when I go back ten minutes later and they're still alive, since I'm always paranoid that I've just filled their lungs with milk  .

Is it just a case of "if the tube went all the way down, it must be in the stomach", or is there a better way to be sure? 

My lambing course notes say that I should be able to feel the tube going down the throat, but I haven't figured out how yet?  (The practical demonstration during the lambing course was somewhat hampered for me by the fact that my dead lamb was still frozen, so I could only get the tube down a few inches anyway!!).

[davet]

You should be able to hear the stomach burbling if you have it in the right place.

[Backinwellies]

Having taught this many times on live and 'frozen' lambs....

1.  Dip end of tube in milk to lubricate a bit
2. Insert end of tube in mouth and move to back of mouth where it will stick a bit .... hesitate for a few secs and lamb will swallow tube (you can feel it become easier to move again)
3. You can feel it go down throat......  finger either side and just pull tube up and down a bit  (if it is in wind pipe you cannot feel it as wind pipe is held open by rings of cartilage)
4. Tube should as you say Womble should go almost all the way in (unless you have tiny lamb).  It must be in the stomach cos the lungs are only half way to stomach.
5 You can hear stomach burbling though tube.
6. lamb should be relatively comfortable with tube in and probably suckle it a bit. ....

I hope that helps a bit .... once mastered it is a complete lifesaver both for the lamb and for sleep deprived lambers who really need to go back to bed knowing the lamb has had enough colostrum to keep it going till morning!!   (I have very little patience for lack lustre sucking on a teat)

[Womble]

Thank you both so much! 

Backinwellies - I'd got all of that except for pinching behind the windpipe as you put the tube in, and the fact that you wouldn't be able to feel it if it was in the windpipe. It's true, you really can feel it going down.

I also found out why I couldn't get anything to flow earlier - the tube had become blocked with a lump of powder  .

Fantasy says thank you! 

[Womble]

Oh, and assuming I can't find her a mummy soon (looking increasingly unlikely, since the others show no sign of lambing, and she bleats in response to my voice anyway  ), how soon should I move her onto standard lamlac, rather than powdered colostrum?

[Fleecewife]

My goodness Womble, those shelves are well organised 


Thank you for raising this question and thank you backinwellies for a brilliant description 

[Fleecewife]

I've just had a thought  .  Could we pin Backinwellies' reply please so everyone can benefit?


I don't know who moderates each section, but it might be worth having that info available too?

[Marches Farmer]

I find it can help if you "measure" how far down the tube needs to go and put your fingers at the spot on the tube as you slide it down to where the lamb's nose will be.

[Womble]

That's a good idea, MF. I've taken it one step further, and have marked the tube at roughly the right point .

[twizzel]

Oh, and assuming I can't find her a mummy soon (looking increasingly unlikely, since the others show no sign of lambing, and she bleats in response to my voice anyway  ), how soon should I move her onto standard lamlac, rather than powdered colostrum?

24 hours on colostrum then onto milk powder

[Foobar]

These are useful:


http://www.lamlac.co.uk/resources

[SallyintNorth]

You should be able to hear the stomach burbling if you have it in the right place.

And even more importantly, not hear breath sounds

[Womble]

^ guys, whilst each of these are true, I'll be honest, the sound is really hard to tell the difference enough to trust it, especially when you've only heard one of them!

Anyway, it's 3.30am, so I'm just on to write and say thank you once again to @Backinwellies : Because of you, I am now going back to bed, rather than spending the next hour in the barn muttering "Just f&*^%ing suck, will you!?!".

I had previously thought of tubing as a semi-emergency measure, perhaps one down the list from IP glucose injections. However, I now realise that it's a really important routine skill for us all to have. Definitely practice it this year even if you don't need to  .

[Backinwellies]

Glad to help Womble 

[SallyintNorth]

Having taught this many times on live and 'frozen' lambs....

1.  Dip end of tube in milk to lubricate a bit
2. Insert end of tube in mouth and move to back of mouth where it will stick a bit .... hesitate for a few secs and lamb will swallow tube (you can feel it become easier to move again)
3. You can feel it go down throat......  finger either side and just pull tube up and down a bit  (if it is in wind pipe you cannot feel it as wind pipe is held open by rings of cartilage)
4. Tube should as you say Womble should go almost all the way in (unless you have tiny lamb).  It must be in the stomach cos the lungs are only half way to stomach.
5 You can hear stomach burbling though tube.
6. lamb should be relatively comfortable with tube in and probably suckle it a bit. ....

I hope that helps a bit .... once mastered it is a complete lifesaver both for the lamb and for sleep deprived lambers who really need to go back to bed knowing the lamb has had enough colostrum to keep it going till morning!!   (I have very little patience for lack lustre sucking on a teat)

:bookmark: Tubing a lamb