# Feeding Questions



## Tuesday (Mar 24, 2013)

One of my ewe lambs I've noticed licking the mineral tub we have out. Is that okay? Could it mean she's not getting enought to eat? 

Also how much weight should lambs gain per day the first couple of weeks? I'm paranoid that some are not getting enough to eat. If I get milk from the mom when I check her,is that an indication that she's producing enough for them?

Thanks for your help.


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## doxiemoxie (Mar 24, 2013)

The babies will be curious and mouth/lick/taste almost everything; especially if their mom did it.  Unless the lamb seems overly interested in the mineral tub I wouldn't worry about it.   

As for getting enough to eat I don't weigh my lambs but I do check to see that they have full bellies. Cup your hand around their belly, just behind the rib cage and it should feel a little bulged as opposed to hollow or sunken in.  I also monitor to make sure they are nursing adequately.  That is, not fighting too hard to find the teat and to get the milk to let down, as well as nursing off both sides of the udder.  The udder and teats need to look balanced, and mom needs to be licking the babies when they are nursing and not pushing them off of her.


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## Tuesday (Mar 24, 2013)

The lamb seems to be licking the tub every time i'm in the barn and the other lambs don't. I'm worrying about her a little. Her mom had triplets and is older plus only has half an udder working. I'm supplementing one of her brothers 5x/day with 3 oz of milk replacer (he loves the bottle). Her other brother I was giving a little bit (an once or two) several times a day but He's not a big fan of the bottle so it's a battle getting him to drink it and then she's been on the mom exclusively, but I'm wondering if she maybe not getting enough milk or is missing something in her diet....? Her stomach is not super round but it's not sunken in either she's the smallest of the three. I do see her nursing often when I'm watching them and she sticks closer to her mom than the boys do. I flipped the tub over for the night.....any thoughts?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 24, 2013)

I think that if she is not standing around with her back hunched up, or moves like she is weak in the legs, or lays around for most of the day, or all three, she is probably fine!
If she is active enough to walk around and explore, or seems attentive, she is good!


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## CritterZone (Mar 25, 2013)

I noticed two of our 13 lambs who were more interested in the minerals than the rest - they were not from the same ewe and were born a few days apart.  The first one I saw licking out of the pan had me worried, because the ewe didn't seem to have any milk, and her twin seemed very lethargic.  We got some colostrum and fed the lambs, but she continued to be interested in the minerals.  The next day the ewe was feeding both babies well, but she continued to enjoy the minerals, while her brother didn't even seem to investigate.  

We had a another ewe deliver twins, and one of them was interested in the minerals, but both of these lambs were up and active and feeding well.

Both sets of twins are thriving at 10 and 12 days old.  I might have been a bit more freaked out if they were actively eating the minerals, but I think it was just little lambs just being curious.


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## SheepGirl (Mar 25, 2013)

Tuesday said:
			
		

> One of my ewe lambs I've noticed licking the mineral tub we have out. Is that okay? Could it mean she's not getting enought to eat?
> 
> Also how much weight should lambs gain per day the first couple of weeks? I'm paranoid that some are not getting enough to eat. If I get milk from the mom when I check her,is that an indication that she's producing enough for them?
> 
> Thanks for your help.


Mineral tubs usually contain a lot of molasses. I don't know how old this ewe lamb is, but if she's young (say less than a month old), then she's probably licking it because she discovered it tastes good & sweet, not because she wants the minerals it has in it.

My lambs have been gaining about 1/4 to 7/10 of a lb per day. Growth rate depends on dam's age/milkability, breed, genetics, feeding, litter size, etc. I would say minimum you would want a lamb to gain is 1/5 lb with 1/4-1/3 being better. If you get milk from the mom, it just means she's producing milk. You can tell if the ewe is producing enough milk by looking at their tummies. Scroll down to the 3rd & 4th photos in this post to see the difference between a lamb with an empty belly and a lamb with a full belly.


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