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Bagging up / orphan lamb milk - help please
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mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 05 3:59 pm Post subject:

Hello Alex: you need a map of Wales

Lake Vyrnwy is near Llanfyllin which is west of Oswestry, not far from the border. It's very lovely up here, especially just now.

We don't have the pigs yet, but I've just made contact with another Downsizer near Bala (not far from here) who has Tamworhts: IMHO the best breed in the world. We want them for much the same reasons as you, plus they can dig up the bracken in ky top field. As for ducks, I'm on the verge of acquiring Indian Runners: good egg producers and hysterical to watch!

There are others of us over here, and I'm interested in organising a micro-meet for Mid-Wales and Shropshire Downsizers and anyone else who can get here. Think I'll just book a date at the hall and publicize it!

Mochyn

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 2:16 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

I thought it was going so well, but we had our first problem today- a first time lamber had twins but rejected the second one. We put them in a small pen & held her to let him feed twice & she seems to be warming to having twins. He certainly gives it a good go, so hopefully that will be all we have to do. You have to feel sorry for the little fella- all alone in the world & even his mother rejects him

Just as an update, she hasn't taken him in the end & he's now in a box beside me at the PC- has certainly perked up since I found him this morning.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 3:13 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

he's now in a box beside me at the PC

Well, don't leave him there alone unless you've got some good parental control software on that PC, Rob

What happens next? How long will you have to keep feeding him for, and will he be able to rejoin the flock even if his mother doesn't want him?

(Forgive naive questions, all I know about sheep I read in Country Smallholding

)

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 3:32 pm Post subject:

He's looking at the screen in amazement

We had been 'feeding' him, ie restraining his mother while he sucked, twice daily since he was born on Tuesday. He must be resilient, as he was feeding himself in between, despite being constantly butted out of the way, and was always keen to suck.

However, this morning it just got too much for him & he obviously hadn't been able to get a suck since last night when I fed him. So he was suffering from starvation and as a consequence, hypothermia. Despite looking like he might not be with us much longer, he was still sucking my finger & in that way took some glucose by mouth, until I was able to get him back home to make some colostrum replacer up.

He was barely concious but swallowing, so it was possible to get the stomach tube in & give him 125ml of colostrum, and then put him under the heat lamp to recover. In three hours he is back to his feet, vocal and piddling on the blanket (always a good sign

), I'll keep him here for about 24 hours, or until he is feeding well from the bottle, then take him back to the flock & reduce feeds to twice daily on the bottle.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 4:07 pm Post subject:

I'm really glad he's pulling through Rob - thanks for all that. I know you farmers work hard but sometimes it's "small" stories like that that bring home your commitment to your stock. Good luck to you both and keep us informed

(PS, I'm now reassured that we're not the only ones with livestock watching us type at the computer...but at least you have the excuse of life saving treatment, we've just got fat lazy spoiled chickens and a nasty habit of not closing the back door

)

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 4:14 pm Post subject:
Lamb cam

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 4:23 pm Post subject:
Having looked after an orphaned lamb when I was a kid I wondered do they grow up just like a sheep reared by their mothers? They are much more tame but would they make a good mother or do they not know what to do? I think ours went for the table when we returned it to our local farm.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 4:33 pm Post subject:
Their instincts are unaffected by rearing, so there is no reason why they can't return to the flock, providing they aren't devoid of all ovine company, then they can start to think they are human

hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 4:57 pm Post subject:

Lovely pic Rob!

Hope the wee thing makes it OK!

We've more kidding soon too, so I'll try to get some action shots and post them in here.

Your sheep are so pretty - ours are dirty big rustic things and we just give the fleece to the shearer who gives us a reduction in his fee for them.

I'm tempted to get pretty sheep, but as we keep them purely for their meat it hardly seems worthwhile changing stock.

HWH

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 9:21 pm Post subject:

HWH, this month's Country Smallholding has an article about a chap moving to France and keeping pigs, getting involved in what looks like the French equivalent of the RBST. Name escapes me right now and lights are off as OH has a cold in his head and CSI on the television so I can't locate it, but if you haven't heard much of them I can look it up for you - they might be able to help you find a breed that would suit your purposes *and* look good.

Rob, he looks terribly comfortable in there - he's so beautiful too. Lovely nose

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 9:46 pm Post subject:
Oh Rob he's gorgeous! Gissa cuddle? (with the lamb that is)

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 05 10:20 pm Post subject:

hardworkinghippy wrote:

I'm tempted to get pretty sheep, but as we keep them purely for their meat it hardly seems worthwhile changing stock.

HWH

Clearly you've never tasted Kerry Hill lamb! I would say that is definitely worth the change

Louisdog

Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 716
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 05 9:23 pm Post subject:

you need a map of Wales! Lake Vyrnwy is near Llanfyllin which is west of Oswestry, not far from the border. It's very lovely up here, especially just now.

We don't have the pigs yet, but I've just made contact with another Downsizer near Bala (not far from here) who has Tamworhts: IMHO the best breed in the world. We want them for much the same reasons as you, plus they can dig up the bracken in ky top field. As for ducks, I'm on the verge of acquiring Indian Runners: good egg producers and hysterical to watch!

There are others of us over here, and I'm interested in organising a micro-meet for Mid-Wales and Shropshire Downsizers and anyone else who can get here. Think I'll just book a date at the hall and publicize it!

Hi Mochyn

Ahh now I know where you are - whoops, I was absolutely miles off!

So what makes you want Tamworths? I think they're rather pretty but someone told me they were little wild bulldozing escape artists! Handy for clearing land I guess.

I bet the Indian runners will be great, I love the way they look and walk!

Cheers
Alex

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 05 9:24 pm Post subject:
Hi Alex how's the lambing going?

Louisdog

Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 716
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 05 9:33 pm Post subject:

Hi Rob

Hope your little orphan lamb is faring well, he is soooo sweet I can't believe his Mum didn't want him, she must be mad!

The worry about whether Nellie was pregnant / had milk was all fine in the end. Just before and after midnight on Nellie's due date Easter Saturday, our other ewe Tippett produced two gorgeous ewe lambs, so we thought we'd got our dates wrong as Nellie was eating fine that evening and still had no milk. When I went out at half-three am to clear up Tippet's afterbirth, Nellie suddenly started contractions and had a little ram lamb 15 minutes later! I still thought she had no milk but she fed him very well after all.

So, my first lambing season lasted all of 4 hours! Only one night's missed sleep, phew. And thankfully no assistance required for either ewe, we could just sit back and watch, they were such pros.

Thanks for all your advice

Cheers
Alex

P.S. I have tried to attach some pics of the lambs at 2 hours old

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