# new to lambs - 2 week old orphan mini sheep help needed?



## spish (Mar 31, 2014)

hi all. i have a small poultry rescue out here in Belgium and sometimes we get a 'non-poultry' animal in. Today a 2 week old lamb has been brought in after her mother died. i know zero over sheep but the man said he had 2 choices, bring her here or put her to sleep, so of course i took her in.

ive scoured web pages and found so much conflicting advice i'm not sure what im getting into.

what i know over the lamb
1. its a girl
2. born 17 March
3. been with mum up until 8 hours ago.
4. she's a 'mini' sheep breed (Ouessant sheep or 'Bretons dwergschaap' )

ive bought sheep milk replacer (or whatever its called) and it says to mix 200g powder per 1 L  milk. ive been feeding Lamby (her name for now) every 4 hours-ish...100ml (10cl)
the first bottle feed was messy but the 2nd time she got the hang quicker. it says on the bag i dont need to feed her during the night at this age? (its now 10pm, she's just had a bottle, so what time should i get up to feed her next?)

i've got her inside the house at the moment in a huge dog crate (for when im not her) and if i'm inside she has free range f the living/kitchen/veranda (but just seems to stick by me and goes where i go)

can she go outside during the day unattended in a cordened off area ?
when do i introduce hay? pellets?ive put a bowl of water down but she hasnt bothererd with it. is she allowed to graze on the grass yet? the milk ive been giving her is around body temp but ive just read it should be given cold?? 

i have so many more questions but think i need these answering first if someone has time?


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## purplequeenvt (Mar 31, 2014)

At 2 weeks old, she should be fine with getting a bottle 2-3 times a day. We rarely feed in the middle of the night, even when newborn. Our 3-4 week old babies are down to 2 feedings a day with free-choice access to hay and grain.

I would start offering her hay and grain now. Some lambs take a while to figure out that they are supposed to eat it, but it is good to have it there for them. Same with the water. Milk from the bottle should be warm. If you are feeding free-choice from a "lamb-bar" then the milk needs to be cold to prevent overeating.

She's a cutie! I'd never heard of the breed before so I had to look it up. Sounds similar to my Shetlands.


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## spish (Apr 1, 2014)

hi thanks for the reply  how much should she be drinking then per day if she only needs 2-3 bottles? she was making such a racket in the night i got up and fed her again around 4am (i havent had to do night feeds for 7 years since my daughter was a baby ha ha ha) so i'm not sure if she was just calling for her mum or hungry?

ive read she needs sheep pellets as well as the hay....what are these exactley? the pellets adult sheep get or special ones designed for lambs?

also ive been reading up on vaccinations and tail docking, bloat etc and am really pannicing here. does she need her tzil docking now? (the website said to do it before 2 weeks, she's now 2 weeks) also for what are the vaccinations? i dont understand the abbreviations?


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## babsbag (Apr 1, 2014)

the vaccinations are CDT   T is for tetanus and the C and D are for prevention of enterotoxemia, also called overeating disease. The C and D are just different strains of the same bacteria.

Can't help with the tail docking as I raise goats and we don't have to do the tails.


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 1, 2014)

She does not need her tail docked as she is a primitive breed with a small "rat tail". 

CDT vaccine would be good, we give that at 4-6 weeks and a booster 3-4 weeks later. Annually after that. We don't usually do any other vaccines except rabies for the sheep we are showing. 

You can give her sheep pellets or, if you can find them, lamb pellets. I think the main difference would be the protein would be higher and there might be a coccidiastat (medication to prevent the internal parasite, Coccidia from becoming a problem). Either one is fine. She doesn't really need the higher protein. That feed is aimed at the producers raising market lambs and larger breeds of sheep. 

If she's asking for a middle of the night bottle and you don't mind getting up, then by all means give her one. There is no really right or wrong method. We have chosen to not give middle of the night feedings and the lambs adjust. 

Our bottle lambs (keep in mind that they are 3-4 weeks and a larger breed) are getting as much as they want up to 32 oz, two times a day. 

I'd try letting her decide how much she needs. If she gets bloated or gets diarrhea, then back off and don't let her eat as much. 

We switched to this method this year because our bottle lambs in the past haven't done well on the recommended feeding program listed on the milk replacer bag. This year we are feeding raw goats milk (the universal milk replacer), raw Jersey milk, and lamb milk replacer to stretch things out. We've never had fatter bottle babies before!


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## spish (Apr 1, 2014)

wow thanks for the info  it really helps! i put her out in the garden today and she went straight over to a mole hill and started licking the mud hill....i covered it with a bucket and she went straight over to another mole hill and did the same....im guessing thats not normal??


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## babsbag (Apr 2, 2014)

I don't know if it is normal or not, (goats don't do it ) but I would certainly make sure that she gets that CDT vaccine ASAP as soil is where the "C" bacteria lives and in the meantime I would keep her away from the dirt.


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## spish (Apr 4, 2014)

a second lamb has been brought in today from the same guy, this one was probably born last night/ today some time. he had no idea who the mama was and the lamb lay cold in the stable so he brought it round here. we got her warmed up and she's had to small feeds but no one knows if she got mamas special milk or not  ive not put her with the other lamb as she s really small compared to lamb 1 (who is from march 17) what will be her survival chancesif she didnt get mums first milk? do i need to put her under a heat lamp?


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 4, 2014)

If she's inside the house then she shouldn't need a heat lamp. I'd keep the babies separated until the 2nd is up on its feet and stronger and then they should be happier together. Lambs that don't get colostrum don't get the benefit of mom's antibodies, but they usually do ok. You could ask around and find out if anyone nearby has any fresh or frozen colostrum to spare. It won't do any good after the first 24-48 hours though.


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## spish (Apr 5, 2014)

yeah the bigger lamb is outside and the smaller is in the house. she made it through the night  she's sitting/sleeping a lot but i'm guessing thats normal for a newborn? she's been up on her feet and nuzzling my trousers, drinking well from the bttle too  they also (finally) have names now  the older lamb is Lamby, the younger is Lola. i've given the local farms a quic call round today, one has a ewe in labour this morning so im going to see if i can get some of her milk. Lola is probably just under 24 hours old so it cant hurt to try and get some in her?


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## Sheepshape (Apr 5, 2014)

Well done, spish, for your perseverance. Young lambs can be very difficult to get onto the bottle if they have fed from the mum for a while.

Lola is probably beyond the point where the colostrum will be a great dal of help to her ( antibodies not absorbed much after 6 hours, and not at all after 24-36 as indicated by Purplequeen). I have raised a number who have had no colostrum, and they have done fine.

Providing the temperatures are not low (50 degrees plus) by day, Lola would actually be OK outside providing she isn't a tiny scrap with virtually no fleece. I personally keep them in for a day or two, though.

I feed the tiny lambs about 6 times a day for the first couple of days and then drop the feed numbers down quite quickly. They grow VERY fast.

As to how much they need at a feed...well very much depends on the type of sheep (you indicate a small breed) and there is a lot of individual variation. I currently have two bottle lambs aged 10 and 12 days. The 12 day old is a medium sized and he is taking about 1.5 litres a day, the younger guy is a large sheep and he is on 2 litres or so. I let them take as much milk as they want at a feed.

With regards to tail docking....well, I hate it, but accept that it is difficult to sell some ewes if they haven't had their tails shortened. Any ewes I keep for breeding myself do not get their tails shortened. I use a 'hot knife docker' which seems to give them very little pain at all and there is little bleeding either as the hot knife fries the blood vessels. Don't dock too short on ewes as this predisposes them to prolapse.  As to when to do it...well it can be done from about 2-3 weeks. Generally I wait for 6-8 as the lamb is a bit stronger,but the downside is that the tail is bigger.

It sounds as though you are doing very well as 'adoptive mum'....they will,of course, see you as mum, and try to follow you everywhere.

Good Luck.


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## taylorm17 (Apr 5, 2014)

This is all good information. I am so happy you brought these two in!!!!! I'm sure they are also happy to have a new 'mom'. You are doing so well with them from what I can see here. They do need the CDT shot if the one is eating dirt especially. You can have free choice hay for the older one now I think. I don't raise sheep so don't know about the tail docking. Definitely wait a while so the little one can get stronger before really introducing the two into the same space. Colostrum would be best if you can get it soon, but if not she seems to be pretty strong from what you say. As they all said, if they are in the house no heat lamp is needed. How is the little one acting? playful, walking around, running jumping, just sleeping, crying... And The picture of the first is sooo cute!


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 5, 2014)

Her lambs do not need to be docked. They are a small primitive breed with a short tail that is usually covered with hair instead of wool.


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