I have not had the pasture here I should have had this winter, for several reasons, one being the drought. I just had the smallest lamb born I have ever seen yesterday morning. He is doing fine, but only weighs about 2 lbs.. I tube fed him a 1/2 oz in the morning, and 1/2 oz 4 hours later then about 5pm fed another 1oz while my vet noted how full he was as I was feeding the tube.. The little guy is doing fine today in a pen under a big shade tree. !! He is a twin and the other is about 3 1/2 lbs. I have had triplets that were larger!!
Cecil ----- Original Message ----- From: "RBMuller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 11:07 PM Subject: Re: [blackbelly] amount of colostrum needed > > Thank you Cecil for sharing your experiences. I don't respond often to > the > list. > I too think that most people overfeed their bottle babies. In our haste > to > be a good steward we forget that the little critters do not have human > emotion or needs. > In the past I too tried to feed too much too often. Now I just keep the > baby warm, feed small amounts 2 to 3 hours apart (only during daylight > hours), and try not to worry. > Even as the lambs get older, I do not exceed 3 cups of milk replacer a day > and that is usually split into 2 to 3 feedings during the daylight hours. > I > do not offer grain as their stomachs have trouble processing it. They are > fed a small pellet and alfalfa hay. Haven't lost a lamb in several years. > My ewes have taken care of their lambs this year and it has been a rough > year here in TX. Now we have grass and it is wonderful to see well fed > lambs with their slick mamas. > Thank you, > Rhonda > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Cecil Bearden" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 12:24 AM > Subject: Re: [blackbelly] amount of colostrum needed > > >>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: <[email protected]>; "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 >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > 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
