Rejected lamb questions

[herdcentral]

Hi, one of my ewes just gave birth to triplets. Unfortunately she rejected the little ewe lamb. The lamb was healthy and strong. She was bashing it up and slamming it to the ground so it just gave up and I decided to remove it as night fell or the foxes and cold would probably have got it.

 

I did manage to catch the ewe and tried to milk her for some colustrum. I managed to get a small amount, maybe about 20 ml or less than and ounce. I bought some milk replacer and a teat today as well.

 

I got the colustrum and some milk into the lamb, she sucks on my finger and occasionally on the rubber teat. She seems to have really perked up since I got some milk into her.

 

I will try and get some more colustrum from the ewe tomorrow but she was hard to get any quantity out of today.

 

With only a small amount of colustrum, what are the lambs chances and should I be doing anything special. Unfortunately I am going away in the next day for a couple of days so will have to take the lamb with me which is going to be interesting to say the least. The lamb is currently in one of my dogs crates.

[Journey]

I'd say go for it. I wouldn't try a bottle yet, just tube her. As long as she's strong and trying help her. If you can stockade the ewe when you get back maybe she can graft back on if the ewe can manage 3.

[NorthfieldNick]

I'm going to disagree with Journey and say that if the lamb is able to suck on a bottle vigorously enough to get anything out of it, don't tube her, just let her nurse. I only tube lambs too weak to suckle. I bottle feed strong lambs from the get-go. More colostrum would be ideal, but even that small amount should give her a start. If you get a hold of some goat colostrum, that will work, too, but the lamb needs it in the first couple of days.

 

Good luck- I hate bottle lambs! Have one from this year, and she's finally learned that dogs have teeth...

[herdcentral]

She seems strong and is very noisy. Yes a bottle lamb is something I was trying to avoid and if she survives I would like to wean her and get her back out in the paddock as soon as possible. My sheep dogs are on full alert, one of my cattle dogs would like to eat her and my old matriarch ACD who adores puppies has gone all maternal and wants to be as close to her as possible.

 

I dont think it will be possible to get hold of any colustrum other than what I can try and extract from her mother tomorrow. None of my other ewes have started lambing yet so I cant try them either. So will just keep my fingers crossed she doesnt succumb to some infection.

 

What are their chances with only a small amount of colustrum?

[bcnewe2]

I don't think the momma will have any colustrum left with 2 lambs nursing. I'd say the 20 ml's will have to do.

I keep my bottle babies right out in the flock, give bottles through the fence. No tubing unless it's life or death. No befriending the lamb. Just drink and go.

Put grain out imediatly and wean ASAP. Which sometimes can be as early as 42 days or so.

I hate bottle lambs too. I usually sell them on Craigs list. Got 75 bucks for one this spring. If I could sell all my day old lambs for 70 bucks I'd be doing pretty good.

 

But if you keep them the less handling the better off you are. Otherwise they won't be a real sheep when they grow up.

[stockdogranch]

I agree--I only tube if the lamb is not able to suck. And, yes, with the other 2 nursing, you probably got what colostrum there was to get at this point; it will have to do. There's one other thing you might try--get a sheep halter and tie the mom up somewhere where it's just her and her 3 babies, isolated from the rest of the flock. Tie her to the fence or whatever you have close enough to the ground so she can both lie down and stand up. Give her food and water and leave her be--maybe even hold her while the lamb she is rejecting nurses. I've had decent luck doing this, leaving the mom tied for 24 hours or so; by then, she gets tired of fighting it and often will then accept her lamb. If this works and you think she may not have enough milk for all 3, then I would supplement with a bucket with teats on the fence (teach all 3 to get supplemental milk this way), so you're sure they are all getting enough.

 

I hate bottle lambs and will do anything to avoid them at all costs. If I do end up with one, I leave it with the flock and just go give it its bottle and leave. But I find they just don't grow the same as a lamb with its mother, as there is just no substitute for the lamb running up and getting a sip a million times a day, no matter how many times you go out there with the bottle,

A

[Journey]

I recommended tubing as she was leaving town and taking lamb with. Then try to graft back to mom. Bottle babies are no fun when they grow up, if they grow! However, I am game to help if they're strong enough to try. And yes, leave in the flock, even when on the bottle.

[Mike Neary]

I don't have the url or link, but the best publication on artificial rearing of lambs is from Virginia Tech. You can google it. More colostrum after this amount of time has passed won't help. The first 12 hours are crucial for colostrum, after that, don't bother.

 

mn

[herdcentral]

Thanks everyone for your replies. She seems to be doing well and it is pretty feisty. Not looking forward to travelling with her and 6 dogs for the next couple of days to a big dog trial. Could be umm challenging.

 

I guess the reason I thought it was worth giving her a chance is that she is a ewe lamb and a Wiltipoll and they cost about $500 to buy and I am trying to build my ewe flock up.

 

Yes I suspect I got all the colustrum I was going to get because the other 2 lambs were nursing pretty strongly, so it will just have to do. I guess at least I got some into her. Unfortunately I work part time so will most likely have to take her into work with me on those days so I can feed her. Fortunately I work in the agricultural industry so everyone is used to lambs and there are dog kennels at work I could use. Not ideal I know. Hopefully if she survives as a breeding ewe she will raise well adjusted lambs.

 

Do lambs need access to fresh water? I do put lamb and ewe pellets out and will start giving the lamb access to these.

 

Might try and put her in a pen with mum when I get back. I can tie the ewe up if I can get her in the pens. That will be a test for my young dogs. My young kelpie helped me catch her for the colustrum and was very gentle with the lambs so we will see. The paddock they are in is very large - 60 acres but the ewes are used to coming up to the pens for pellets although there is plenty of pature on offer at the moment.