What I have done in the past when mama just did not seem to have enough milk for triplets is to make sure they get the colustrum, and I supplement with about an ounce of milk replacer. then before I go to lunch I give them an ounce or 2 depending on how full the belly feels. If their belly feels full, then I do not give any. I use the feel method more than the schedule. I know I have overfed in the past and will go only by the feeling of the belly from now on... I overfed a 4 hour old one with that formula and he aspirated and died in my arms. It is something that haunts me everytime I tube feed one. However, his death probably saved a dozen lambs by preventing me from overusing the tube.
Tube feeding is a technique that will save a lamb that has a hard birth experience, or a weak lamb, but if they will nurse, I leave them alone and just monitor progress. I also try to wait until a newborn is 30 minutes old before tube feeding. Their esophagus seems to not be open just yet. Again, all this experience is subject to revision at the time of birth depending on temperature, lamb condition, ewe condition, and everything else under the sun..... It is still a miracle they live in spite of all we do! I gotta go pen mine up. Cecil ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol J. Elkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 6:39 PM Subject: Re: [blackbelly] amount of colostrum needed > > Cecil, your $0.02 worth is always worth a small gold mine. > > I wouldn't be surprised if once again what is written in the sheep books > just doesn't quite fit with what blackbelly sheep need. Even though > Lawson's formula would automatically scale to the smaller blackbelly > weight, our sheep rarely do anything "by the book." I'm paying attention > to > Cecil's overeating theory. I've done okay with my bottle babies using > Lawson's formula, but those first few days of life are always touch-and-go > and I rarely can get the "prescribed" amount of fluids into a newborn. > Perhaps that has been to the lamb's advantage... > > So what "formula" would you recommend for how much to feed a newborn, both > for colustrum and milk replacer? > > Carol > > At 12:24 AM 5/13/2006 -0500, you wrote: >>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. > > _______________________________________________ > 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
