# 2 new lambs, mom rejected one.  How do I save her?



## momto5girls (Jan 21, 2013)

We had 2 little lambs born yesterday morning.  We found them right after and I checked to make sure everything was ok.  The mama hadn't delivered the afterbirth yet, so everytime the little ones started to nurse she ran away.  I had to leave for a couple of hours and when I got back, the one lamb was running and jumping and nursing.  The other lamb was almost dead :'(  She was still wet and was in a corner not moving.  I brought her inside and dried her off.  I gave her some milk replacer and after a few hours we had her up and moving.  
I tried a couple of times to get her back out with the mama and other baby, but each time she gets out with the other lambs, she shuts down.  She stops responding to touch and stops walking.  I figure that we need to just bottle feed her - and that's ok, I have done it before, but never with a lamb this small.  The other bottle babies we had were both 3 weeks old when I got them.
What should I be doing / not doing?  How much should a 1 day old lamb be eating?  I have not been able to get any colostrum from the mom because she gets very angry with me when I try.  I am getting about 10cc of milk replacer down her every few hours, but she still seems very lethargic compared to the other lamb.  She doesn't get up and walk around unless I make her, and then it is only for a minute or two before she wants to sleep again.  I am worried about her making it through the night (I plan on setting my alarm and getting up every few hours)  She is inside the house at this point.
We really want to save her!  Any help or ideas would be appreciated!
Aimie


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## BrownSheep (Jan 21, 2013)

Let her rest, don't make her move. I know there is a combo of corn syrup and water you can give but don't have the ratio. Keep feeding her every couple hours. If you have electrolites give them to her. How's her stool?


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## momto5girls (Jan 21, 2013)

I did get some electrolytes today and she just had her first 'meal' using that instead of the replacer.  Her stools are go from loose to very watery.  How are they supposed to look now?


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## bonbean01 (Jan 21, 2013)

Awww...sweet little thing...really hope she makes it!

When you say milk replacer...is it colustrom (spelling?) replacer?  She needs that...if you don't have that, I'd get someone to help you tie up the Mama and milk some for this little one...I do know that is super important to get into her very early...even small amounts given every few hours.  Getting her dry and warm was good...have you checked the inside of her mouth to see if it is cold or warm?  Best to warm her temperature up to normal before feeding her.

Hope people with more bottle baby lambs come on to give you their advice.  I've never had a bottle lamb...only given supplemental bottles on a few when I thought the Mama didn't have enough milk yet.

Good luck with her...she is a little sweetheart!!!


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## bonbean01 (Jan 21, 2013)

Yay Brownsheep...I knew someone with more experience in this than me would come on soon!!!!


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## bonbean01 (Jan 21, 2013)

momto5girls...I know this is a hard time for you...but still wanted to welcome you to Backyard Herds....hope this turns out well!!!


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## momto5girls (Jan 21, 2013)

Thank you!  I love this site!!


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## Royd Wood (Jan 21, 2013)

I always try and get them feeding on the mum for a day or two even if the mum has rejected. I have been bulldozed over while trying but usually I hold the mum while my beloved gets the lamb on. We give a little honey to the lamb just seconds before trying as that is like a sugar hit and gives them the will to feed. Its possible the mum roughed it up a bit while rejecting it which can by pretty horrendous at times leading to serious injury or death.
We have lost 3 lambs already this term which is a shock for me and waiting to loose another one tonight but have 7 bouncing around. We have some very good mums due to lamb so am hoping our losses stop
Good luck and just do your best - what will be will be.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 21, 2013)

I don't know how much help I will be. 

Stool at that age is still fairly soft and kinda creamy. If it is diarrhea she's probably scouring.If its scours- Keep giving her electrolytes instead of replacer. Give her som scour stop or peptobismo ( 4cc)  which ever you have on hand. Once she's a little better off giving her some plain yogurt can help get her gut back in working order.

The one lamb we did have scour was pretty far gone we kept giving her electrolytes every 1/2 hour. And she pulled through by the next evening. 

What replacer did you give her?


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## SheepGirl (Jan 21, 2013)

Do you have a temp on this lamb?

If she is lethargic, I would at the very least try to give her some Sheep Nutri-Drench (probably just 1 or 2 pumps every couple of hours).


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## momto5girls (Jan 21, 2013)

I just took her temp (never done that before).  It is only 97.5 .  Her sister's temp is 102.
What do I do to warm her up??


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## SheepGirl (Jan 21, 2013)

You can put her under a heat lamp or you can wrap her up in towels, or even put her in a bath of warm (not hot) water.

You need to warm her up before you feed her.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 21, 2013)

If it were me...I'd wrap her in a blanket, taken warm out of the dryer...hold her close and have a heating pad over the blanket...hope she makes it!


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## momto5girls (Jan 21, 2013)

Thank you.  I don't know why, but I wouldn't have thought to check her temp.
I have towels in the dryer now and she is by the fireplace.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 21, 2013)

A heating pad or hot water bottle works wonders for warming them up if you wrap them up in a warm towel or blanket and sit them on it!
Once her temp is ok, see if she has any sucking reflex, is she does, (you can keep her wrapped) take het to her mother, and hold the mother while you hold the lamb so it can get some colostrum! If you have some of the powered colostrum that will work too(mix exactly as the isntructions say). If not, you could hold the Mom and milk her, even an ounce or two into something, while the little one is warming up! They got to have some colostrum when they are first born, if not, a lot of the time it is hard to keep them going!!!
If she won't suck, tube her!
If you can get her warm and some colostrum into her, she SHOULD be well on her way!!!
Good luck!!!   I will check on your progress periodically!


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## momto5girls (Jan 22, 2013)

I put her in a warm bath and as soon as she was dry she was up and playing.  I took her temp again and it was up to 99.5.
About 30 min later she was lethargic again and her temp was back down to 96.5.  I just keep rotating warm towels and trying to keep her warm.  
When she is warm, she has a great sucking reflex and drinks from the bottle.
Hopefully we make it through the night.


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## promiseacres (Jan 22, 2013)

Hope she made it thru the night shes a cutie


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## Shelly May (Jan 22, 2013)

She is really cute, is she a Katahdin? Keep up the good work and keep us up to date.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 22, 2013)

How's she doing?  Hoping for the best!!!!


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## Bridgemoof (Jan 22, 2013)

x2


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## bonbean01 (Jan 22, 2013)

I start getting a bad feeling when there are no updates... :/


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## Bridgemoof (Jan 22, 2013)

I know exactly what you mean Bon....  still


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## momto5girls (Jan 23, 2013)

Thank you all for your help and caring!  I tried everything, but she didn't make it through the night. :'(  
I will be better prepared next time.  I learned a ton through this.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 23, 2013)

I already posted on your other thread...so sad she didn't make it.  And you are right...you have learned much and sadly you had to learn it the very hard way 

Good to have supplies on hand for just these kinds of things for sure.


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## promiseacres (Jan 23, 2013)




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## Shelly May (Jan 23, 2013)

Sorry she didn't make it.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 26, 2013)

SO sorry she didn't make it.
Every year I have ewes who reject lambs......usually at night when there are twins or triplets and there is a long time between births. I suspect that the lamb gets separated from the mum. I have ended up bottle feeding a number due to this.

Whatever the reason that you lost her, you did your best. Sometimes mum rejects a lamb as they know that the lamb has something very wrong with it. Maybe this was the case.


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