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How To Prepare Lamb Bottle And Feed The Lamb

 
 
The first feed that your lamb needs is colostrum.This is vital for a new born lamb.It is full of nutrients and antibodies that ensure the survival and health of your lamb.You can purchase powder colostrum from a farm supplies store.The colostrum acts as a laxative to get rid of fecal matter.Once your lamb has had its adequate feed of colostrum you can start to feed it the lamb milk replacer.Under normal conditions the lamb willl suckle the ewe up to 40 times each 24 hours.Hense small frequent feeds for the lamb is best.
 
 


 
  • It is important that you follow the mixing instructions on the packet of your lamb milk replacer.
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  •  Make sure your lamb is warm enough,a cold lamb will not fed.For the first few days feed the lamb the milk warm after its fine at body temperature or cold.The cold milk will also decrease the risk of bloat.
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  • After feeding the lambs sides should be straight from hips to rib,if the sides puffed out then the lamb is being overfed.Lambs can get scours from overfeeding.
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  • Feed 140ml every 4 hours.Then move on to 200ml four times a day.Gradually move up to 500ml four times a day for two weeks.7OOml three times a day for 2 weeks.Finally 500ml twice a day until weaned.
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  • If a lamb is very weak give the lamb smaller feeds more times a day .
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  • If the lamb gets scours you will need to give the lamb electrolytes and feed every two hours.You can buy powder electrolytes at vets or make it from salt sugar and baking soda.One feed will be electrolytes and one feed the milk replacer. Give a larger portion of electrolytes than the milk.When the lamb is improving give more milk than electrolyte.
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  • Open the lambs mouth and move the teat from side to side to give the lamb a feel for the teat some lambs will take to the bottle straight away and some might be difficult at first.
  • Hold the lambs head and feed from above the lambs head,let the milk drip into the teat.
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  • Have the lamb standing up while feeding.
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  • The teat for the bottle should not be too small or too big.
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  • Sterilize the lambs teats and bottle so that the lambs do not get scours.

  • By 13 weeks the lamb should be weaned of milk

  • 100ml of colostrum should be feed every 6 hours for the first 18 hours of life.
     
  • At one month they will happily be eating the hay but continue with the lamb milk replacer.Do not use cow milk to feed the lambs
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  • Bottle fed lambs are often prone to bloat this can kill the lamb.It is often refereed to as frothy bloat.At 4 weeks they seem to be most prone.Some farmers when the lambs are 4 weeks give the odd injection of penicillin as preventative to bloat.Adding vegetable oil to the milk replacer could also help at this bloat risk time
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Comments

  1. VanessaApril 23, 2016 at 5:33 PM

    This was a really informative and excellent article. Thank you for the information, this is what I was after plus some extra little tips :D

    ReplyDelete

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