# How to train lambs to drink from bowls/buckets



## Sweetened (Apr 29, 2014)

I picked up 3 bottle ewes last week, and they are lovely.  One is 6.5 weeks though, and I've been feeding her water through the bottle but can't, for the life of me, get her to drink out of a pail.  The other one is 5.5 weeks and the youngest is 4 weeks.  I'm weaning the 5.5 week old onto water, but again, no luck drinking from a pail or bowl.

Tips?

Thanks!


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## Hens and Roos (Apr 29, 2014)

never had sheep, but could you put some of the milk they drink into a bowl to help them get started and then slowly switch it over to water or have a second bowl with just water there as well.


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## Sweetened (Apr 29, 2014)

Yeah.  I tried that.  I've had free choice water in them I change out every day and nothing.  No luck.  I've tried putting the nipple in the bowl/bucket, dumping their heads in it and so on, but they have zero interest.


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## norseofcourse (Apr 29, 2014)

Do they have a salt lick?  If not, maybe give them one, the salt might 'encourage' them to start drinking water from a bucket.


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## SheepGirl (Apr 29, 2014)

My bottle lambs were weaned from the bottle this past Saturday, a little over a month of age. They were never given a bucket of water to drink out of until now and they have learned to drink from it, either on their own, or from watching the other sheep and lambs.

I would not feed water from a bottle as that is counter productive--you are just teaching them water comes from a bottle so no need to look for a bucket for their source of water.


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## Sweetened (Apr 29, 2014)

Thanks @SheepGirl , I never even thought of that.  I have left water in there since I got them last week and they've never touched it.  They are in the same building as my buck goats but are currently separated off due to some scabbing on their lips and face that I am concerned are sore mouth symptoms.  I'd rather just keep them away from the other animals until that's cleared up!

This evening I dunked their faces in the dish so they had to lick their mouths after to clear the water, hoping that'll help?


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## BrownSheep (Apr 29, 2014)

We just leave it. They figure it out fairly quickly. You may have some whining though


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## Sweetened (Apr 30, 2014)

I worry about dehydration -- I suppose that would drive them to seek water on their own.  They eat hay and oats fine on their own but no one to learn water from


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