[Jacob-list] bottle babies and consequences

[Mary Ellen Hansson]

Hi everybody,
 
I know of somebody no longer raising Jacobs that is using one of those
Premier milking station buckets with real success in her bottle lambs.
She sings the praises of that every time I talk to her.
 
Have you noticed that animals that took a bottle as lambs think it
should be theirs again when they see it coming years later?  I am
wondering if that was part of the problem with Mimosa----she absolutely
loved the bottle and she was such a horrible mother.  Don't know how she
has done this spring at another breeder's place---who knew the concerns
regarding motherhood.
 
Bottle babies really are NOT what this breed is all about.  Yes, I have
had several over the years, but that doesn't make them great
representatives of the breed.  We need to be careful waltzing down the
pathway of thinking that bottle babies are so cute, they are so loveable
and so worth keeping and using in our breeding programs.  I see several
who have shipped them on to pet locations, and that is really where they
should head if not to the table.  One of the strong selling points about
this breed is the ease of lambing and the fact that these sheep DO IT BY
THEMSELVES..and that doesn't include a bottle to even supplement except
in very extenuating circumstances.
 
Mary Ellen Hansson
ISeeSpots Farm www.iseespots.com
Jacob Sheep, Fiber, Spinning equipment,
Books, Patterns, Knitting/Crochet/Tatting
 
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