Tom Quinn wrote:
I worked on the ewe for a couple of hours, and got nothing. She has no bag at
all. It sounded like she was letting down milk, but nothing. That and the fact
that she was butting the lambs away, led us to decide to get them warm and try
to bottle feed tonight. These little guys dont weigh much more than one pound
each. I will just have to see if we get them through the night, then brew up
some colostrum replacer, and see if we can get anything from the ewe.
----- Original Message ----
From: Carol Elkins <celk...@critterhaven.biz>
To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info
Sent: Mon, August 2, 2010 10:10:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Help: Need info on bottle feeding
Tom, do everything you possibly can to milk colostrum from the ewe. Put her in a
stanchion to hold her still. You may not get a lot, but every bit is important.
Measure what you do get and divide it into two parts, one for each lamb. Do this
as often as you can to get as much colostrum as you can from her. If she has any
milk in her bag, you might try letting the lambs nurse. I stanchioned a ewe
three times a day for 3 weeks and she finally accepted the lamb. (I bottle fed
him to supplement what he was getting from the ewe.)
Read the article I wrote about Raising Bummer Lambs on a Bottle at
http://critterhaven.biz/info/articles/bummer_lamb.htm It contains a recipe for a
newborn milk formula to use if you have no colostrum. It also provides a
schedule and a formula for feeding amounts. Cecil will caution you to not feed
as much as the article recommends per feeding and I agree; but it is a place to
start.
Carol
At 09:58 PM 8/2/2010, you wrote:
I dont have any colostrum. All of this happened after the feed stores were
closed.
I can probably find some tomowrrow-- or is that too late?
Carol Elkins
Critterhaven--Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep
(no shear, no dock, no fuss)
Pueblo, Colorado
http://www.critterhaven.biz
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Sounds like they were premature. You can wrap them in a towel, get a
baby diaper and cut a hole for the tail. Keep them next to you when you
go to bed. They need to hear a heartbeat nearby, they have been next to
one for 5 months... Find some colostrum replacer asap. Be sparing on
the feeding, they will tell you when they are hungry. If they are
peeing about every 1-2 hours they are getting enough. The first 24 ours
is when they hydrate and expand. Remember they can aspirate easily so
keep their heads up. and do not let them lay on their side.
Cecil in OKla
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