I disagree with this recommendation. I have had 4 lambs in the past 7 years that had to be bottle fed. 3 died. I now believe this was from enteroxemia due to over feeding. The lamb that I had so much trouble with but survived has shown me that I was over feeding. When weighed about 8 lbs when I was feeding her 1 oz every 2 hours and developed enterotoxemia. I later tried this again a week later and she nearly died from overeating.
I milked out a ewe that had twins and one born dead. The other was very weak from the birthing. I only got 1 oz from her total. I fed the lamb with a tube and he is doing fine now. If he had nursed and had another sibling, he only would have received 1/2 oz. I had a lamb that was very cold from exposure and not enough milk. I brought him into the house and fed him during the night. about 1 1/2 oz every 1 1/2 hours. He died 24 hours later. I pulled fluid from his stomach when I was trying to revive him and got a back fluid. This was the stomach lining due to enterotoxemia. Same fluid found when I had so much trouble with my latest bottle baby that is now doing fine. She has been bouncing around in a playpen in the living room. She goes everywhere with me. One of these days she is going to be a sheep, not a child.. I have discussed this with my vet who is on site nearly every day and he agrees that we have just overfed blackbellies in the past and we have altered our feeding amounts for newborns. Just my $0.02 Cecil Bearden Oklahoma ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol Elkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info>; "Nancy Richardson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 11:44 AM Subject: Re: [blackbelly] amount of colostrum needed > > Hi Nancy, > > This is from Laura Lawson's book, Managing Your Ewe and Her Newborn Lambs > (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/096339231X/critterhavenesta > > I consider this book to be a Must-Have book for all shepherds. > > "Recommendations by knowledgeable authorities are for a minimum of 7 oz. > as > a first feeding after birth. Lambs may need as much as 12 oz. depending on > the size of the lamb. The equation set forth is about 20cc per pound of > body weight for the first feeding. The lamb should receive this amount > from > 30 to 60 minutes of birth. ... In the case of orphan lambs, initial > amounts > of colostrum should be followed at later feedings with divided amounts of > colostrum for 24 hours. Amounts should equal 15% to 20% of the lamb's body > weight. Unfortunately producers don't have unlimited supplies of > colostrum. > This often requires using artificial colostrum for future feedings. Only > use these after giving the lamb the initial appropriate ewe colostrum of a > minimum amount of 7 oz. within one hour of birth." > > These amounts are for wooled sheep; here are the adjustments that should > be > made for smaller blackbelly sheep. > > Let's do the math on her formula 20 cc colostrum per pound of lamb > Let's say the average blackbelly lamb is 6 lb. > 20 cc X 6 lb = 120 cc > Convert this to ounces (1 oz = 30 mL = 30 cc): 120 cc / 30 cc = 4 oz for > the first feeding after birth. > > She says the total amount for 24 hours should be 20% of the lamb's weight. > 6 lb x 16 oz/lb = 96 oz. 20% of 96 oz. = 19 oz. > > So, although your 7 oz. exceeded the first feeding requirement, it was > short of the total amount needed in 24 hours by 12 oz. > > Carol > > At 09:48 PM 5/5/2006 -0500, you wrote: >>Hello, does any one know how much colostrum is needed by a lamb? We had >>triplets born. 2 of them to small to reach momma and her to wild to catch. >>I >>fed them both 3 ounces of colostrum mix before they were 2 hours old. But >>after that could only get about 1/2 ounce down them every few hours for a >>total of about 7 ounces in 24 hours. They only weigh about 2 pounds or so >>each. They are very small. We have never raised ones so small. Thanks >>Nancy > > Carol Elkins > Critterhaven--Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep > (no shear, no dock, no fuss) > Pueblo, Colorado > http://www.critterhaven.biz > T-shirts, mugs, caps, and more at the > Barbados Blackbelly Online Store http://www.cafepress.com/blackbellysheep > > _______________________________________________ > This message is from the blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info _______________________________________________ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
