# Is it worth saving a weak lamb?



## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

The title probably sounds very cruel and heartless.  However, I'm currently sitting with a tiny lamb in a box with a blowdrier, having already soaked it in hot water for 5 minutes 

The blasted thing is coming back to life, and whereas earlier it did nothing but lie motionless with very little sign of life, it now had the gsll to try to stand.  Mind you it's nowhere near that stage yet.  It like to weigh about 5 lbs  from a 2 00 lb rambouillet x Suffolk crossed texel Shropshire... 

I was dribbling in 1or 2ml of of colostrum at a time,, when it started sucking from the syringe, plunger depressing all by itself.  I think it probably frank about 50-60ml in a couple minutes?  Not bad for a mostly dead lamb...

Anyhoo, is it worth saving a weak lamb? Assuming this guy even makes it, is it worth the work I might need to put in?  Ie, will he be healthy in the long run. Will he grow like the others, etc etc etc..

Also will his mum even accept him back tomorrow?  I'm not putting him back with her tonight as he's way too weak, so tomorrow at breakfast time is the earliest... Although technically he can't even Stans right now, and I presume that's the absolute minimum he'd need to be able to do.   How he's going to suck off his mom's cowsized tests I don't know....


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

Here's a pic. He looks a little better now... Holding head up. Etc.  I hope I'm not wasting this colostrum ..


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## promiseacres (Mar 4, 2019)

Depends.... most people I know it is worth an attempt. Even when the odds are against you. Not just for the bit of income the lamb can potentially bring but if only that you as the farmer made his or her being happen so you feel a responsiblility for that life.    
 I suppose some say move on to the next one I don't have time to attempt when there's no chance


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## Sheepshape (Mar 4, 2019)

My avatar....Lleila...... weighed under 1lb ....too weak to stand. Brother weighed 14lbs. LLeila in now 2 years old and about 150lbs (well probably more as she is heavily pregnant). She was not strong enough to suck from the teat or, of course, to compete with her hefty brother. Bottle fed, she has never had a days illness.

I am not made of the stuff which can 'just let something go' if a little effort on my part could potentially save them. But, 'different strokes for different folks', and I can understand the busy farmer who sees no commercial potential in a weakly lamb.

Every year a good 50% of my 'lambing time' will be spent trying to secure the survival of 5% of the lambs. I have a probably brain-damaged and virtually blind ewe of 3, for instance. The quality of life of Becky, this ewe is truly great. She is able to follow her little flock, answers to her name, is 'spared' the yearly lambing, and, like Lleila, has never had a day of sickness.

As promiseacres said....we have some responsibility for the lives which we oversee. What we may or may not choose to do is down to how we interpret that responsibility.


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## Daxigait (Mar 4, 2019)

Some just start out a little slow but do great. Sometimes unfortunately it comes down to how much time you have.   If you don't have time they're often people that will take or buy bottle kids.  I had to do this last year with a pair of early born lower kids I just simply didn't have the time or energy left to deal with anymore and they weren't going to survive without intensive care. I called my local vet who referred someone who takes in kids and is willing to take the chance. I worked real hard on one earlier in the season but by the time those two came along I just wasn't getting enough sleep as it was and it had been too long since I had had any consistent sleep so I refused to take on another project that would be hard on my sleep.
the lamb may or may not take her the baby back it will depend on her experience and snow. I heard you can stick a dryer sheet on their nose and on the baby's butt rub it around before you try to reintroduce them.  I honestly don't know because I've never tried it.


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## Baymule (Mar 4, 2019)

I pull out all the stops to save a lamb. I have lost more than I saved. But I won’t give up. I hold them as they die in my arms. It is gut wrenching but I won’t give up until they are gone. I saved 2 this year, both are small runty things. One is growing pretty good now, the other, younger one is still small, but growing. They lived. They make me smile. 

I spent 3 hours teaching the runty ewe how to suck her mommas teat. I sprawled out on the ground in sheep poop, it was cold, drizzly rain, and momma stomped all over me. I call it a wild Sheep rodeo. My husband helped hold her against the fence and got his toes stomped by sharp Sheep hooves. I called him for help and he ran out in flip flops. LOL She may never catch up to the other lambs, that’s ok. I don’t have to keep her for breeding, I can send her to slaughter or sell her as a pet. Either way, it’s better than a dead lamb and nothing at all.


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## Baymule (Mar 4, 2019)

If you are milking out the momma, she will smell “her” scent in the lamb’s Poop/butt and recognize that it is hers. Maybe.


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## frustratedearthmother (Mar 4, 2019)

Glad to hear you got the lambs out.  When I went to bed last night I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.    See if you can get more than 2 cc's at a time into it.  It needs much more...

I say definitely give it your best shot to save it.  It may bring income in the future or be a breeder or even a freezer filler - but it deserves a chance.  Also, it will give you good experience in learning what and how to try to save a lamb.  Raising animals rarely goes as we expect.  Not all babies are born healthy and raring to go - so as a farmer it will help you to gain experience in caring for a weak one.

There are lots of sheep people who can offer their advice and wisdom.  Good luck!


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

Here goes nothing.  I'm going to build a permanent stanchion and milk o out the ewe until the baby is old and strong enough to drink of h his own volition.  Let's set for that goes!


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## Baymule (Mar 4, 2019)

I'm going to build  a stanchion for the next lambing season..... it would make things a LOT easier! I plan on building it more like a chute with drop down sides for access. Plans are still swirling around in my head. LOL


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

Okay so she's a great milker - I stanchioned her and milked about 600-650 ml from her, so at this point I've gotten about 850-900 ml I'm guessing...?  The little lamb had the first 200 or so lat 3:30 and 6:00, and now I'm going to feed it every hour or so with the new colostrum.  just now he had about 50ml but he's very tired and weak. I'm using the bottle now, and helping him as he doesn't suck super well.  We'll see... I'm pretty confident that he should get the amount of colostrum he needs, as he's only about 4-5 lbs, so by my guesstimation he needs about 1/2 a lb (according to info that says a 10lb lamb should get 1lb), am I correct?  Of course I'll just keep feeding away, as much as he can take, I assume.

That said, he's still very weak, and though able to stand a bit at 3:30, he's not so hot right now...


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## Baymule (Mar 4, 2019)

Whether he makes it or not may depend on circumstances out of your control, just do the best you can do and it certainly sounds like you are doing just that. You just might wind up with a fine little lamb.


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

Okay, so he just took about 100ml of colostrum over about 20 minutes or so.  For the first time he seems to have a little belly, whereas before (and to be honest, still) he looked like a bag of bones, seriously, with huge ungainly shoulders and hips that don't seem to be attached by anything other than skin!

He's not super perky - should I be giving him anything else?  Some sugar solution, or...?  He's just basically lying there doing nothing... not that I expect him to jump around or anything, but he's definitely so weak still.  

I'm home today so I have this 24 hour period to get him going, and that's it...   I'm willing to sit by him the whole day and do what's necessary.

Suggestions?


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## Baymule (Mar 4, 2019)

Keep him warm and full.


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

Hmm... he doesn't look full, but he won't take any more.  I gave him 5ml of slightly diluted honey (had to add a tiny bit of hot water b/c we only have the grainy kind right now...) to give him some energy.  Apparently I should have done that before the colostrum...

My nephew has had great success with Coko for his piglets - says it gets them raring to go in no time.  I'm not going to go that route (we only have Ginger Ale anyway  but I'm going to see if the honey trick works.

He currently can barely raise his head, still can't stand.  If his mom hadn't birthed a nice big ewe lamb ahead of him, I'd think he was a preemie...


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

Wow!  That worked!  10ccs of slightly diluted honey and I come in the bathroom (it's current home) 5 minutes later and he's standing! :0  Hopefully he has more energy to suck now.


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

I presume it's good for it to be up?  Ie, get the muscles moving, start spreading sugars through the body  etc.?  He still doesn't like to drink much but I have him 10 more cc's via syringe.  His appetite is up and down.


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## shepherdO (Mar 4, 2019)

He had so many wrinkles, you can tell he's part rambouillet!


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## Baymule (Mar 4, 2019)

He is making progress. For sugared honey, put the container is a bowl of hot water. When it cools, dump it out and add more hot water. The honey will go back to liquid.


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## Mini Horses (Mar 4, 2019)

shepherdO said:


> Here goes nothing. I'm going to build a permanent stanchion and milk o out the ewe until the baby is old and strong enough to drink of h his own volition. Let's set for that goes!



I have goats but, last yr one had trips, not her usual twins.  First two quickly, up & nursed. Then, after about a 20 min pause, #3 came along.  Mom cleaned her but would NOT let her nurse.  I milked out colostrum and gave it to the little doe kid (yes, way smaller than first two.  also black spotted, not white like others).  anyhow -- Doe did all motherly care for #3, except feed her.  
She was given only moms milk -- knowing they smell them - but, not letting her nurse.  I could hold her by collar & place Peanut at teat, she would nurse but, soon as I let go...mom turned and walked!  

Nine months later,  mom and Peanut & Sugar (the 2nd doeling, sold buckling) all sleep, eat & poop together -- perfect family.  She grew nicely, had only moms milk.....odd.  BUT so glad I co-parented and save that kid!

I hope things go well for yours.    We can't save them all but, it's a miracle to watch when we do.


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## Mini Horses (Mar 4, 2019)

shepherdO said:


> Here goes nothing. I'm going to build a permanent stanchion and milk o out the ewe until the baby is old and strong enough to drink of h his own volition. Let's set for that goes!



I have goats but, last yr one had trips, not her usual twins.  First two quickly, up & nursed. Then, after about a 20 min pause, #3 came along.  Mom cleaned her but would NOT let her nurse.  I milked out colostrum and gave it to the little doe kid (yes, way smaller than first two.  also black spotted, not white like others).  anyhow -- Doe did all motherly care for #3, except feed her.  
She was given only moms milk -- knowing they smell them - but, not letting her nurse.  I could hold her by collar & place Peanut at teat, she would nurse but, soon as I let go...mom turned and walked!  

Nine months later,  mom and Peanut & Sugar (the 2nd doeling, sold buckling) all sleep, eat & poop together -- perfect family.  She grew nicely, had only moms milk.....odd.  BUT so glad I co-parented and save that kid!

I hope things go well for yours.    We can't save them all but, it's a miracle to watch when we do.


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## mystang89 (Mar 5, 2019)

I haven't read many of the responses but here's my thoughts. It's weak because of some factor, whether that is because of a bad mother, bad internal components, genetics etc. So if you try to save it there is a possibility that these bad traits MIGHT be passed on. However there is a chance they might not and it might end up being a great sheep. I look at it as a challenge. I have been challenged to see if I can keep this baby alive. I've had 2 times that I've been challenged to do this. One time I succeeded in keeping it alive, one I didn't. The one I succeeded with is still alive and well. The other one is Dead but I learned, so I still obtained something I didn't have before. Just my 2 cents.


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## frustratedearthmother (Mar 5, 2019)

The baby is weak because of a rough birth...it was behind a bigger lamb that died "in transit."  Those babies that are second in line are often getting the brunt of the uterine contractions and get pretty beat up during the process.  I applaud @shepherdO  for trying.  

As you mentioned, it sure is a learning process!


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## shepherdO (Mar 5, 2019)

Thanks for the encouragement!


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## shepherdO (Mar 5, 2019)

He's coming around.  Slowly.  Getting a rounder tummy, but still very lifeless.  No way he could nurse from a sheep right now, FAR too weak.  I think I'll keep him alive, it's just hard work!  I gave him to my 11 year old son for his birthday today - told him if he helped raise him (feeding him, helping me milk mom and train him to nurse eventually) he could have him and all the money if/when he's sold.  

I'm going to leave him uncastrated and with a tail b/c he's too weak to go through the process, and so I guess he'll be my 'ethnic buyers special' sheep, 100% in tact!   

We toyed with the name "Lazarus" b/c he 'came back to life', but after I gave him honey and it perked him up, my wife quoted another verse in the Bible about Jonathan, King David (also a shepherd)'s best friend, who was exhausted and famished in battle:

1 Samuel 14:27 - "But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that _was_ in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; *and his eyes were enlightened*."  

So now he's named Jonathan


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## Baymule (Mar 6, 2019)

I hope he keeps improving. We haven't had to raise one yet, but there is always that possibility. I read posts like yours and by your example, someday I'll know what to do!


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## mcjam (Mar 6, 2019)

I am one of those crazy people who buy (at a substantial discount) bummer lambs from a local farmer who just doesn't have the time to mess with them,
and try my best to save them. I have young children who need work to do, and bottle feeding lambs is one of their favorite jobs. I also have a 2 family milch cows 
So have a constant supply of fresh raw milk  and saved colostrum.  Ewe lambs grow to be Mama's, ram lambs are destined to the freezer, with a lucky few given the chance to be a papa first. Some don't make it, but most do. I am building a small heard of Kathadin sheep that I would never have been able to afford otherwise and learning a ton along the way. I have more time than money, so this is worth the fuss for us.


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## BreanneRN (Mar 6, 2019)

Well, saving a lamb is a highly personal decision and dependent on your personal situation...  I always try, so many times they just need a little help and most of the time are highly responsive to that help, which is rewarding and educational...  The value of a lamb can be effected by different circumstances...  How special was the breeding?  Is this from a favorite or very valued ewe?  To that ewe,  this lamb is her world right now, and it is good to provide a good motherhood experience if you can...  If you have the time and can keep going, I always would try.  Even if you can't continue, once the lamb is stabilized you can sell if to someone that has the time to continue the care if you can't successfully return it to the mother.  Even if you have to give it away or enlist the kids to help, you will still have gained valuable experience that can be used again when perhaps the next weak lamb is far more important to you for various reasons.


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## RathdrumGal (Mar 6, 2019)

shepherdO said:


> The title probably sounds very cruel and heartless.  However, I'm currently sitting with a tiny lamb in a box with a blowdrier, having already soaked it in hot water for 5 minutes
> 
> The blasted thing is coming back to life, and whereas earlier it did nothing but lie motionless with very little sign of life, it now had the gsll to try to stand.  Mind you it's nowhere near that stage yet.  It like to weigh about 5 lbs  from a 2 00 lb rambouillet x Suffolk crossed texel Shropshire...
> 
> ...


Yes, it is 100% worth it, especially if he is already eating.  I rescued two cold lambs a few years ago.  They are now both big, healthy wethers and a staple of my fiber flock.  The smaller one - named Little Guy -- I supplemented with a bottle, but he also nursed from his dam when able.  Mama had had 4 lambs (she is a Finn) of which 3 survived.  She never rejected him, but he would get pushed aside by his larger siblings.  He would come to take the bottle when I went out on my front porch and baa'd for him.  I know this is not supposed to be possible, but he took both bottle and his mama.  He is now indistinguishable from his larger, healthier siblings.


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## shepherdO (Mar 6, 2019)

I just realized maybe I should have been more specific initially. 

I have raised one rejected tripled for the past week and a half and things are going great.  Tim-Tam is healthy and drinking well, you can't tell her from her brothers, etc.

The other ram lamb, however, is a real time drainer, and is showing very little return.  He still lies there lethargically, requires syringe-feeding, etc.  So he's not your regular bum lamb, or reject, or hypothermic lamb.  He is a tiny little runt  

So I was more asking about those tiny preemie-type lambs.  That said, we're still giving it a go and learning along the way, as many have said.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 8, 2019)

shepherdO said:


> The title probably sounds very cruel and heartless.



It doesn't sound cruel and heartless at all.  You are thinking logically.  Do you have the time to nurse along this sickly lamb?  Do you have the milk, or formula, to feed it?  Are you willing to let nature take it's course?  In a large flock, this lamb would be a white speck on the grass, one of the casualties a shepherd faces during lambing.  It would not stay on the grass for long either, since a predator would take it away for a meal.  If you have the time desire, and milk to feed this lamb, then it would be worth it to try.  A freezer lamb, even a small runty one, is worth $$$.  If you don't have the time, or the milk to feed it, then you need to decide is it worth the effort and cost to try to save it?  Since you are able to milk the ewe out, you are inky out the time and effort.  Is the attempt worth your time and effort?   

Since you have children to help with the feeding, it may be worth it to try to save the lamb.  If the lamb doesn't survive, it will be a valuable life lesson for your kids.  If it does, you have a freezer lamb for profit, and your kids will have helped to save it.  Can your children do the milking or at least some of it?

Just so you know, since this lamb was trapped behind the first born, it may have suffered some brain damage through oxygen loss, etc.  If it still cannot stand after a week, that may be what is wrong.  Also you don't have to feed it all night long.  They are not like human babies.  Ewes do not nurse their babies all night long.  If this lamb were not so weak, you would only bottle feed him 3-4 times a day.  By the time he was a month old you would have him on 2 daily feedings, 1 quart in the am and 1 qt in the pm, with free feed hay starting at a month old.  Since he is weak, you can divide up the feedings into smaller, more frequent feedings until he gets stronger.  If he still can't stand and nurse on a bottle or his mother by 2 weeks, it will be time to decide on whether or not it will be worth the effort to continue.

If you decide not to try to save this lamb, do not worry about other people judging you over it.  Only you can see this lamb's condition.  Like I say, he may not be destined to survive if he has brain damage from birth trauma.  You have already done a lot to save him, so if he doesn't survive, or gets worse, please move on and know that you made the right choice in letting him go.  They are not all able to survive, nature is a harsh mother.


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## Carla D (Mar 8, 2019)

@Ridgetop hit the nail on the head. It is all about priorities. If you or your children have the time to spare and the desire to try saving this baby go for it. That does NOT mean you can’t change your mind after a day or two if you aren’t seeing any improvement at all. It could very well be a fabulous thing for you and your family to try and save it, especially if you’ve never tried before. That experience might just save a baby from a special, expensive, great genetics goat. That in itself would come in very useful.

I’m also going to agree with Ridgetop on the fact that it is ok to not try as well. You are there to assess the situation, not anyone else. Some people are very much for letting nature take its course. Others are do everything you feasibly can to save it. I had several issues with my baby goats. There were a couple of people telling me to cut my losses. There were encouraging people as well. Then there were people who patted me on the back for sticking with it and not giving up. I went through heck the first two-three months of their lives. I’m so very happy I stuck with doing everything I feasibly could. 

You know your situation, the abilities of yourself and family. Only you have the setup that you have, as well as animals, time constraints. You also know what you and your family can physically and emotionally tolerate and whether doing whichever you do is feasible. Maybe you only have a couple of sheep. The loss of a baby, even a week one could have a costly impact if you did lose it. Maybe you have a huge herd and one little and weak lamb won’t be missed. Do what is in the best interest of you, your family, farm, and herd.


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