[Jacob-list] thoughts on lactation.....

[Mary Hansson]

Question for folks out there.....
 
Animals TEND to take care of their needs when they are given the opportunity.  In this question and comment, I am excluding starvation or overfeeding as a background.
 
When I have ewes in with their lambs and offer feed, they eat everything in sight---and eat a bit more than they did before delivery.  Stop and think about anatomy here----and for those females among you who have delivered babies......think about how you responded when baby dropped and disappeared from belly.......  You eat more because your body is going to be producing the most precious product it ever produces in it's life----SUSTENANCE for baby.  You need a bit more for that.
 
Doesn't it stand to reason to treat just a little extra (not the 50 pound grain bag :o)) with a new mom?  
 
I have done this for 10 years and haven't experienced overmilk production a single time yet.  Wouldn't want to start, but my suspicions are that it isn't going to happen unless you have a disconnect between former nutritional status or baby's ability to nurse.


Katrina & Dave <davekat at copper.net> wrote:
Congratulations! Sounds like he beat you to them in late August. *smile* 
So sounds like everyone is heathy?

While we usually are pretty big on relying on hay around here, especially 
since alfalfa is so remarkable and easy to come by in this area, I don't 
think pellets would do them any harm.

I have read that lactation is the time to feed your sheep really well...it 
is the pregnancy stage that causes problems. The one thing you have to 
watch for is starting to suppliment a ewe in the first three days after the 
lambs are born....it can lead to an over-production of milk that the 
newborns can't keep up with. That is when you get problems with engorged 
udders and udder problems. After that, a small amount should be fine, in 
our experience.

One side note...a lot of times the pellets are mostly alfafa anyway! but 
not always...do you know what is in yours? I am a firm believer in alfafa 
for ewes that have just lambed...it seems to get their milk going and have 
just what they need to get feeling spunky again. I have heard it is because 
of the high protein of course but also that alfafa's roots are so long and 
deep that good alfafa is full of minerals. I feel fortunate to raise sheep 
in an area where alfafa is not too hard to find.

on a side note, I have read that loose alfafa is much easy for sheep to 
digest than the pellets or pressurized chunks of alfafa....not that those 
forms are not good if you can't get baled 3rd cutting , but if you are 
comparing value...
Best of Luck! Katrina Lefever
___________________________
Katrina & Dave Oberholtzer Lefever
Pigeon Hills Place
7890 Gnatstown Rd
Hanover, PA 17331
(717) 637-6670
davekat at copper.net
http://chicoryjacobs.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donnangelo,Nicholas C." 
To: 
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 8:55 PM
Subject: [Jacob-list] Timing is everything


> Back around the first of September I removed our ram from the ewes, and
> did not put them together again until around November 1st. Maybe folks
> more experienced than I am wouldn't have barn surprised, but my jaw
> dropped when I went to the barn a few days ago to check on one of my
> ewes who appeared lame that morning and was greeted by an extra two sets
> of eyes. Another ewe has also just dropped twins. All this as
> temperatures dip into the single digits with snow and howling wind! I
> like to shear in mid-February, before (ideally) March lambs. Given the
> cold snap, should I shear now to keep the ewes in and down, or will the
> extra load caused by shearing in this weather (staying warm in addition
> to lactation) perhaps lower their resistance? Secondly, while I like to
> stick to good alfalfa hay given the cold I have been supplementing the
> ewe's with 1/3 scoop of pellets, is there a consensus that this is a
> good idea or should I stick to hay. Lastly, a few years ago one of
> cousins in the south of France - a professional chef and owner of a
> B&B) demonstrated how to make "formage de la brebis" beginning with a
> few of his neighbor's ewes. Looking at my girls I don't quite see how I
> can "get my hands around the situation." Has anyone been successful
> milking Jacobs? Since they are relatively small, any tips on
> technique? Given cleaning the utter, hands, etc is mastitis still a
> concern?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Nick Donnangelo
> Shiloh
> Purcellville, Virginia
>
>
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Mary Ellen Hansson, MEd, RD, LDN
ISeeSpots Farm
Jacob Sheep:  Lambs, adults, wool
www.iseespots.com
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