Sometimes it may be necessary to bottle feed a lamb. If his mother died during childbirth or, as happens in some cases, simply refuses him for unclear reasons, the lamb is an orphan; in this case, you must start feeding him with a bottle as soon as possible to ensure his survival. There are some basic criteria to be respected during the procedure; Read on to learn more.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making the Artificial Milk
Step 1. Contact a veterinarian
If you have to bottle feed a lamb it means that you have probably found an orphaned puppy, or the sheep in your flock refused it. You must take the baby to the doctor before trying to care for it on your own; he is able to explain to you exactly the needs of the animal, he can help you find the right milk, the colostrum substitute to nourish it and ensure it is supplied with all the vitamins and minerals necessary for its health.
Step 2. Get the colostrum substitute
It is the first type of milk produced by sheep after giving birth and is essential for the health and well-being of the lamb.
- It is a vital substance because it contains high levels of nutrients and protects the newborn from a variety of infectious agents; Lamb does not have antibodies at birth, so it needs colostrum to develop them and fight potential infections.
- As soon as it is born, the lamb should have a quantity of colostrum equivalent to 10% of its body weight; this means that if you weigh 5 kilos, you must consume 500 g of this precious substance during the first 24 hours after birth. If the puppy has been abandoned or rejected by the mother, you need to get a colostrum substitute as soon as possible; in fact, if you raise lambs, it would be advisable to always keep them available, in case of emergency.
- You can find this ingredient for sale at most agricultural consortia that sell feed and livestock equipment.
Step 3. Purchase a lamb milk replacer
During the first 13 weeks of life, the animal needs milk.
- This product is also on sale at retailers of articles and livestock feed. Once the package is opened, you must store it in a 4-liter sealed container; put a few bay leaves on top of the bowl to prevent insect infestations.
- Make sure the milk replacer is specific for lambs. You do not have to take the one suitable for cattle, as it contains different nutrients and vitamins which are not adequate to keep the sheep in good health.
Step 4. Make the milk replacer yourself if needed
If you can't find powdered one or a colostrum substitute, you can make it too; the first thing to do, however, would be to find commercial products of reliable brands, since they are more likely to contain appropriate nutrients, and only as a last resort think of preparing the food in an artisanal way.
- To make a colostrum substitute, you can mix 750 ml of cow's milk, a beaten egg, a teaspoon of cod liver oil and a teaspoon of glucose; another recipe calls for 600 ml of cow's milk, a teaspoon of castor oil and a beaten egg.
- To make the milk replacer, you can combine a teaspoon of butter, an equal dose of dark corn syrup, a can of evaporated milk, and liquid or oral vitamins specifically for lambs, which you can buy at food stores.
Step 5. Prepare the bottle
A lamb should be fed a 240ml bottle and rubber teat.
- For the first 24 hours you should fill the container with an amount of colostrum equivalent to 10% of the animal's weight and possibly feed the puppy every 2 hours during this time.
- After these initial feedings, you can proceed with 140ml of milk replacer; pour the appropriate dose into the bottle and heat it until it is warm to the touch but not hot, a bit like preparing a baby bottle.
- Sterilize the container and teat with a Milton disinfectant solution or baby steam sterilizer. Any milk residue is breeding ground for bacterial colonies, but you shouldn't use bleach, as it damages the teat.
Part 2 of 3: Feeding the Lamb
Step 1. Make a meal plan
Once the first 24 hours have passed, you must set and respect specific times to feed the little sheep.
- After the first 24 hours of colostrum feeding, you should offer him 140ml of milk every four hours; after this second phase, feed it with 200 ml 4 times a day. Feedings should always occur every 4 hours; take note of the meals and respect the regular intervals between them.
- After two weeks of age, you can gradually start increasing your ration with each meal.
- As mentioned above, reheat the milk replacer before giving it to the puppy, so that it is warm to the touch but not hot.
Step 2. Hold the lamb's head up and let the lamb stand upright
Once you have measured the amount of milk and prepared the bottle, you can give it to the puppy.
- Lambs must eat while standing upright; avoid hugging or holding him while he drinks from the bottle, otherwise clots may form in his lungs.
- Most of these creatures start sucking instinctively; However, if your specimen refuses the teat, press it to his lips to encourage him to eat.
Step 3. After the first week of life, start adding water, hay and grass
After feeding it for a week with colostrum and then with milk, the lamb should start eating some solid food.
- Give him fresh water, hay and grass, letting him eat and drink as much as he wants.
- If he is strong enough, let him graze with the rest of the flock, so that he can also start socializing with the other sheep.
Step 4. Increase your food doses every two weeks
You have to increase the amount of milk as the animal grows.
- After giving him 200 ml of milk for two weeks 4 times a day, gradually increase the ration up to 500 ml, again for 4 meals a day.
- After another two weeks, he further increases the amount of food reaching 700 ml per meal 3 times a day, maintaining this ration for two weeks.
- After 5-6 weeks begins to reduce the amount of milk; return to give him 500 ml but only twice a day.
Step 5. Make sure the puppy starts weaning from the thirteenth week
By the time the lamb reaches this age, the lamb should completely stop drinking milk and begin replacing it with hay, grass, and water. Pay attention to her age and stick to a gradual reduction schedule starting when she is 5-6 weeks old.
Part 3 of 3: Preventing Problems
Step 1. Check your puppy after the meal to make sure he has eaten properly
You need to check that he hasn't overdid it, but he hasn't eaten too little either. There are several ways to make sure you have taken an appropriate dose.
- At the end of the meal the hips must be straight from the pelvis to the ribs; this suggests that he ate the ideal amount of food.
- If you see that his hips are rounded after a meal, reduce the amount of milk on the next feed, otherwise you risk overfeeding him.
Step 2. Take preventative measures against hypothermia
Lambs are often bottle-fed, because they are orphans or because they are abandoned; if your pup can't rely on the warmth of the flock, his body temperature can drop dangerously to hypothermia. However, there are some measures you can take to prevent this phenomenon.
- In the first stage of hypothermia, the lamb appears weak, thin and may even collapse. You can use a rectal thermometer to check the temperature; under normal conditions, the small sheep should have a temperature of 38-39 ° C; if it is lower, it means that there is some problem.
- Wrap it in a towel to warm it. You can also use a hair dryer to achieve the same effect; alternatively, buy a specific lamb garment, a device that can keep on the body all night. It is not recommended to use heat lamps, as they could cause a fire in the sheepfold.
- It prevents drafts from forming inside the fold, especially in the winter months.
Step 3. Protect him from pneumonia
This is a fairly common disease in lambs, especially those that need to be bottle fed, as they don't always get the right antibodies to fight bacteria, even with colostrum substitutes.
- Pneumonia is characterized by breathing problems, increased heart rate and fever; suffering lambs may not want to drink milk.
- The main causes of this disease are drafts and humidity; keep the fold clean and dry, avoiding air drafts to prevent the risk of this pathology.
- If your pet gets sick, you need to get a prescription from your vet for antibiotics and start administering them as soon as possible.
