# I have a lamb .....now what?



## happy acres (Mar 31, 2014)

Went to the stock sale today, never even made it inside. A man in front had two ewe lambs for sale. I bought one and my friend bought the other. Hers is solid white, she named her Belle. Mine is white with some pale tan spots, I named her Honey. Anyway, they are both weaned, and look healthy. They have been eating sweet feed, but I bought them some sheep pellets and mixed it, made sure they had fresh water, and gave them a salt block with minerals. They look to be between 6-8 weeks old. They are clean faced, but that's all I know. Also their tails aren't docked. Do I need to dock them? Or will they be ok? Is there anything else we need to take care of right off? We will be putting them on pasture as soon as the corral is finished, and I plan on them having a good hay meal first so they don't get sick. They feel good and solid, probably weigh around 50lbs. Poops are like rabbit pellets. I'm probably forgetting a ton of stuff, but I want to do this right. They will be raised together, and thinking about breeding them in November. Any advice is appreciated!


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## bonbean01 (Mar 31, 2014)

Congratulations on getting your first sheep!!!!  One thing you'll want to watch with mineral blocks and any sweet feed or pellets is that they are for sheep and don't have copper.  Sounds like you're off to a good start there.  Did the man who sold them to you mention if they'd had any vaccinations?  We never vaccinated here before, but started this year thinking that our lack of problems was just dumb luck???  Much to read in the sheep and lamb section on this forum and that's a good way to learn so much.  Welcome to BYH!!!!!  Enjoy your little sheepies....I love mine


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## happy acres (Mar 31, 2014)

I asked about vaccinations, he said they hadn't been. Said they didn't need any :/


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## BrownSheep (Mar 31, 2014)

CD & T is the basic go to for lambs and is the only vaccination we give.

Make certain you limit the amount of grain they get since you don't know what their diet was before. Otherwise they could be piglets and bloat.


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## happy acres (Mar 31, 2014)

The man told me they had been on sweet feed for the past week. I mixed one part sweet feed to three parts sheep pellets. Total amount was about two quarts (dry weight) . That was their total ration for the day. Is that too much?


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## happy acres (Mar 31, 2014)

How will I know if they get bloat? What do I need to do for it, if it happens?


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## BrownSheep (Mar 31, 2014)

It isn't super likely to happen. I have never had that young of a lamb bloat .

The stomach on the left hand side will appear distended and they will act ill ( it has varied in my adults). There are meds available for some forms of bloat. You can tube them which will allow the gas to leave. A last ditch effort is to puncture their stomachs but it is better left to a vet.


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## happy acres (Mar 31, 2014)

Thanks. I was really worried, thinking I may have harmed them on accident. My animals are my babies, and they are spoiled rotten!


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## happy acres (Apr 1, 2014)

Well, the first night passed successfully.  But I found out my lambs are afraid of the dark. Is this normal? Had to leave a light on so they wouldn't cry all night.


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## happy acres (Apr 3, 2014)

The girls are doing well, have been grazing too. Is it too late to dock their tails?


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## SheepGirl (Apr 4, 2014)

Anything past 3 wks is too old imo.


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## Ruus (Apr 4, 2014)

Some breeds don't need their tails docked at all, but most wool breeds generally do. I'm pretty sure your girls are too old.

The problem with long tails is that muck gets matted into the wool under the tail and they can get fly strike. That being said, I have a friend who doesn't approve of tail docking and she's never had a problem from it. She (like you, I think) has a small enough flock that she would notice if any of them were having a problem with a dirty backside.


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## happy acres (Apr 4, 2014)

So do I just bathe them if they get dirty.


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## SheepGirl (Apr 4, 2014)

It really isn't feasible to bathe them.

i had a ewe lamb get fly strike, not a pretty mess. Disgusting, smelly, and a bunch of creepy crawlies that i kept thinking were gonna get on me and eat my skin. I'm not sure how she ended up with it, i had docked her tail and 2 days later there were maggots all over her rear digging their way around her tail bone burrowing deeper into her skin; some made their way into her vulva. Nasty.

you could probably get a vet to dock them foryou. I think @Southern by choice had her vet dock one of her sheep's tails?


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