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Ewe won''t let lamb nurse


RoseAmy
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This is a first time mom. She lambed last night no problems, lamb was up and nursing, mom would "squat" so lamb could nurse easier. This afternoon I noticed lamb was crying non stop..well seems mom has now cut off the milk bar..I caught her hogged tied her and milked her out (no easy task she bucked like a rodeo bonco) bottle fed lamb who wolfed it down. Then I held her and he nursed from her. so my thoughts are she was so bagged up it was hurting and now things were good. Well guess what? She cut him off again. This time it was even worse getting her milked out and would not let him nurse..Other then that she is very attentive to him talks to him but for some reason she now doesn't want him to nurse. Any idea? I don't know if forcing her will help or hurt. I really have to bottle feed when she has a huge bag or ready made food for him.

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My guess is that, as a first-time mom with a large udder and only the one lamb, that it is painful when her milk lets down. We see this sometimes with heifers that are a bit wiggly and even kicky when the calf tries to nurse the first few times. I know from personal experience that a first-time mother in particular can have a great deal of discomfort when the milk comes in and the youngster is not taking enough to reduce the pressure.

 

I would suggest some hand-milking (you might be able to freeze excess in case of an orphan or other emergency feeding needs) and restraining the ewe so the lamb can nurse her out reasonably well. A singleton and a milky mom, though, are a recipe for some discomfort on the mom's part until things work themselves out.

 

Another possibility, although I think it would be pretty rare in a first-timer that has just lambed, would be some sort of mastitis, but you should be able to feel that as heat, hardness, lumpiness, and/or abnormal milk in many cases.

 

Best wishes!

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We had this problem with a particular line of ewes for a while - one ewe after another from the same female was rejecting her lambs after mothering them initially - and that's what it was - huge milk supplies that the lambs couldn't quite keep up with.

 

I culled all the ewes but kept the mother and all the experienced mothers - considered it a terminal line - this was my first experience with a "tiered" system by the way and the first ewe was indeed almost a mule, being a BFL/Katadhin cross. I called it my "meat maker" before I knew what I had - any sire crossed on them would produce huge, fast growing lambs, but meat-type rams like my Dorper or my Texel cross would really blow the roof off their weights compared to the rest of the flock.

 

I got other good milking moms that didn't reject their lambs, though - it was just funny that I made that connection because of the Groucho line's annoying habit of rejecting their first lambs.

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Sorry, didn't read the entire post. We put first timers in the barn with each other. Trap the ewe against the wall and allow lamb to nurse. This has worked in the past. They stay in the barn about 3 days with the babies to get them used to each other. JMO

Narita

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Thanks everyone. This morning she was pretty easy to catch but started kicking the lamb when it went to nurse..got the idea rather the hog tie her rear legs I grabbed her front leg and pulled it forward. Lamb went to town and after a few minutes I let go of the ewe and just stood next to her and she let him nurse. Hopefully a few more times and i won't be needed. Funny note she is penned up with her older sister who is also a big milker but a second time mom. Well she is driving her babies nuts..she wakes them up and with her nose literally picks them up and pushes them towards her bag to try and get them to nurse her down. Poor lambs are no doubt thinking PLEASE mom no more milk..

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