Orphan
SOAY Lambs - What To Do
We
have never had an orphan lamb at Wind River Farm but old Girl Scouts never die
they just grow up and raise sheep - my way of saying I didn't want to be caught
un-prepared. I scouted the internet and composed this routine from a number of
sources, substituting products that were easy for me to find locally or on line.
2008
bottle baby at Wind River! Our
Experience
It's
important to remember when you have an orphan Soay lamb that the instructions
on line and on the products are USUALLY intended for a much larger breed of sheep.
Keep
the orphan in a warm, dry, and draft free area.
If
the lamb is just weak, or a poor nurser, or the ewe is rejecting the lamb for
some reason isolate them together in a warm, dry, stall or shed. Using a heat
lamp or two - pointed sideways - at one end of the stall to bring the temperature
up but leaving plenty of room for mom and baby to get out of the heat is a good
idea. Try to keep them near the other sheep if possible, it will lower the stress
on the lamb and on the dam.
If
the lamb is a true orphan - meaning the dam died during birthing - taking the
lamb in the house with you is an option. Use a dog crate or some other large container
for the lamb, and return the lamb to the flock as soon as it is big enough and/or
going through the night without eating.
Day
1 - 2
Colostrum - We bought Nursemate and Life Line from Pipestone Vet. Frozen ewe colostrum
is best but until I find it on the shelf at QFC the Nursemate will have to do.
If you can get frozen colostrum from a friend or neighbor that has sheep - any
kind of sheep - that is the best to use.
We
have a Playtex baby bottle nurser on hand - the kind with disposable liners. Do
not elevate the bottle to feed, hold it at a lower level so the nursing lamb is
swallowing the milk - not inhaling it. You can use any kind of baby bottle, or
a Pritchard lamb nursing nipple attached to a feeder bottle - whatever is easy
for you to find and use. If the lamb is not sucking, or not sucking very well,
you can enlarge the hole in the nipple of a standard baby bottle and let the milk
drip into the mouth. You want to make sure the lamb is swallowing the milk, not
inhaling it. Be sure to have extra nipples on hand - in case you get the hole
too big and too much fluid goes into the lambs mouth at once.
Offer
1/4 cup every 2 hours, less milk offered more often is better. Mix the colostrum
with warm water - do not use the microwave to heat it. Wiping the lambs face and
bottom with a warm wet cloth keeps them clean and stimulates body functions.
Baby
Lamb Strength - about 3 cc - by mouth morning, noon and at bed time.
Day 3 - 7
About 1/4 cup of reconstituted lamb milk replacer every 2 hours - stretching the
time between feeding times to 4 hours as you increase the amount of lamb milk
replacer. CAUTION: Do not overfeed! It can lead to scours
and death. Increase amount of milk replacer in response to the need
and condition of the lamb. Make sure your lamb has access to hay at all times,
and is spending time with the other sheep for important socialization skills.
Introduce
water to your lamb with a VERY shallow dish.
By
Day 14
By two weeks old lambs should be able to go from about 10 PM to 5 AM without a
feeding.
6
Weeks Old
Introduce your orphan lamb to a high quality lamb starter pellet. You will need
to keep the lamb away from the other sheep to do this or the others will eat the
pellets. (There are various opinions on the addition of pellets. You may want
to hold off on this until you are absolutely certain that the lamb is eating hay.)
Lambs
can be weaned at 8 - 12 weeks of age, depending on their size and if they are
eating hay and lamb rations.
What
To Have and Where to Get It
Special
thanks to Kate Montgomery at Blue Mt. Soay and Kathie Miller at Southern Oregon
Soay for reviewing this page and making corrections based on their experience
with orphans.
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