Lamb not drinking water, eating hay or grain 12 weeks old!

[Arpyhh]

My little (bottle fed) lamb (a quad I was told) isn't eating hay or grain or drinking water as are the others her age I bought with her. They are growing and weaning off the bottle, but she is still very small 20 lbs and only taking the bottle three times a day. She shows no interest in trying the other stuff.
What can I do?

 

[Sheepshape]

If she is a quad, she is likely to be smaller than from a birth of one or two and may behave like a lamb who is rather younger than her age (quads usually are born earlier than the 'standard' 147 days). What age is she? Was she exposed to solids at the same age as the others?
You may just have to treat her as though she is a bit younger than the others and continue with the bottle a bit longer.
She WILL come round to the idea of solids in the end.
My ewe with one teat had 5 lambs last year. Although one died within a couple of hours of birth. The others (three weighing about 3 lbs which went onto the bottle and the 5 lb lamb who stayed with mum) all looked a bit 'early....thin fleece, very soft hooves etc. The tiny trio needed to be on milk for about 10 weeks, but four survived and made good -sized adults, but they took a bit longer to do so.

 

[Arpyhh]

Thank you!!
Ok, That's how I have been feeling about her (mother's instincts?)
I just want to make sure my instincts aren't way off when it comes to their health!
I got 2 lambs and two baby goats, we were told they were approx 5 weeks old at the time.... that's ALL we were told about them so we are a bit chagrined that we didn't ask more questions. (Newbies)
She is drinking 3 bottles a day 500 ml each and has been exposed to the hay and grain and water with the others, but she shows no interest. I just want to make sure it's ok to keep bottle feeding her until she decides it's time. I love her so...

 

[trampledbygeese]

What a cute lamb!

If she's "approximately" the same age as the others, then she could be two weeks younger... maybe?

Is she the same kind of sheep as the other? If she was a Suffolk, that would be tiny for her age, but an Icelandic or Black Welsh Mountain, it would just be on the low end of normal (at least from my limited experience, someone can correct me if I'm wrong).

Is there any way to find out if the little wooly jumper got colostrum at birth? If not, I'm told it will set them back and reduce immunity.

How about worms? If she's weaker than the others, then she may have a higher worm load. I don't know how to treat for this yet, but maybe someone else can explain the eye and gum check thing for anemia?

What kind of milk is she drinking now?

Any possibility of mineral deficiency? I know the lambs here that don't get enough selenium grow a lot slower than those who do. But that's here! Your area will have different minerals, so best consult other local shepherds or your feed store, or even your vet, before going out and buying extra minerals.

Hope she grows up big and strong. Keep us updated, eh?

 

[cfjones]

My two four week old lambs still aren't eating their lamb pellets or drinking water, should I be concerned? Help! They drink a 16ounce bottle twice a day now and seem to be doing fine..should I worry?

 

[Sheepshape]

cfjones....in short, no. They may be taking pellets when they are hungry, and will drink when they get thirsty (which they won't with the volume of milk they have provided by you). I wean mine down at 6-8 weeks as experience shows that their growth isn't checked this way.

No fears,though, as you wean them off the milk, they will start to eat and drink.