Feeding the orphan lamb
For survival and lifetime wellbeing, lambs need colostrum in the first 6-12 hours. Colostrum provides antibodies to protect against disease and is nutritionally rich in energy. Four to six feeds of 100 to 200ml per feed is a good start and if possible, continue feeding colostrum for three to four days.
The ewes' colostrum is best. Alternatives include frozen colostrum saved from a ewe with a single lamb, colostrum from a goat or cow, or artificial colostrum. Frozen colostrum should be heated in a water bath. Avoid the microwave as it destroys the precious antibodies so vital to the lamb.
After the colostrum-feeding period, use a lamb milk replacer, such as Denkavit or Anlamb, fed at approximately 40°C. There is no set ‘recipe' for feeding as each lamb is an individual. A general guide is:
|
Age of lamb |
Feed type |
Volume (ml) |
Frequency (feeds per day) |
|
First 4 days |
Colostrum |
100-200 |
4-6 |
|
Week 1 |
Milk replacer |
200-300 |
3-4 |
|
Week 2 |
Milk replacer |
300 |
3 |
|
Week 3-6 |
Milk replacer |
400-600 |
2 |
Hungry lambs are often hunched up and will ‘cry'. As the lamb gets older, gradually increase the volume and decrease the number of feeds per day. Over-feeding is likely to induce scours.
There are commercially available bottles and teats, some more user-friendly and durable than others! Baby bottles and teats work well, as do soft drink bottles with lamb teats. A lamb will learn very quickly where its food is coming from and will adapt to bottle-feeding without a problem.
Encourage lambs to eat grass, sheep nuts, hay etc as young as possible. Early weaning reduces time spent feeding. As long as the lamb is growing well and eating more than 75% of the diet as solids, then weaning at around 6-8 weeks old is fine.
