[Jacob-list] Bottle-fed babies

[Gary Anderson]

In my experience, bottle lambs may be successfully raised on cow's milk,
goat's milk, and milk replacer formulated for any of the three species, BUT
milk replacer formulated for lambs is preferable to milk replacer formulated
for kids or calves.  Of the three, calf milk replacer is the poorest
substitute for ewe's milk, which as Betty mentioned is higher in protein,
fat, and energy than cow's milk.  Lambs raised on calf milk replacer will do
less well (e.g., grow more slowly) than lambs raised on lamb milk replacer.
I have read that calf milk replacer can cause digestive problems in lambs;
despite that I have used it successfully (i.e., taken a bottle lamb to
weaning), I do not recommend it.  In general, breaking feedings into small
quantities as frequently as practical (four times a day is nice, but when I
worked for a living three times a day was all I could practically muster) is
preferable to feeding larger quantities less frequently.

Since you have kid milk replacer, I suggest reading and following
instructions on the bag regarding how much and how frequently to feed.  I
would be skeptical of feeding as much as the lamb will consume.  I tend to
follow a philosophy that it's preferable for a bottle baby to be hungry than
overfed.  Cold (i.e., not even room temperature) milk replacer was used for
self-feeders I have seen for lambs and kids to discourage excessive
consumption at a single feeding.  If I recall correctly, some self-feeders I
have seen for kids also had something nasty added to the milk replacer to
discourage both bacterial growth and excessive consumption by the kids.

Cooperative Extension bulletins on raising lambs are available from several
land-grant universities.  I bet you can find information and science-based
recommendations by doing an internet search. 

Enjoy your bottle babies!  For me, the first one was a lot more fun than,
say, numbers 10 and 11, so enjoy them while you have them.

Gary Anderson
Hillside Jacobs
Sparta, MI

-----Original Message-----
From: jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com
[mailto:jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com] On Behalf Of
jacob-list-request at jacobsheep.com
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:44 AM
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Subject: Jacob-list Digest, Vol 83, Issue 2

Send Jacob-list mailing list submissions to
	jacob-list at jacobsheep.com

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
	http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
	jacob-list-request at jacobsheep.com

You can reach the person managing the list at
	jacob-list-owner at jacobsheep.com

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Jacob-list digest..."


Today's Topics:

   1. How much to feed bottle-fed lambs? (Jason Anders)
   2. Re: How much to feed bottle-fed lambs? (Carl Fosbrink)
   3. Sick pregnant yearling ewe (Jeff Bourget)
   4. Re: How much to feed bottle-fed lambs? (Betty Berlenbach)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 05:07:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jason Anders <rockytopjacobs at att.net>
Subject: [Jacob-list] How much to feed bottle-fed lambs?
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Message-ID: <617642.69707.qm at web83803.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Good Morning:

One week ago we had two lambs born that were rejected by their mother.? It
seems 
that she didn't have enough milk and by the time we found them, they had
gone 
probably 5-6 hours without feeding.? We feed them colostrum and kept them 
going.? We are now feeding a kid goat milk replacer recommended by our vet
but 
are having a hard time knowing how much to feed them.? They are having runny

stools although seem to be doing OK.? We are feeding about 4 ounces every 6 
hours and also giving them some anti-diarrheal medicine.? Any advice out
there 
would be very much appreciated.? We have never had to bottle feed before.? 
Thanks so much!
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
<http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20110404/067097aa/
attachment-0001.htm>

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 09:10:49 -0400
From: "Carl Fosbrink" <fourhornfarm at frontier.com>
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] How much to feed bottle-fed lambs?
To: "Jason Anders" <rockytopjacobs at att.net>,
	<jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Message-ID: <3CC5AC335AD045E483B6492B67C062EE at your03667082de>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I am not sure how runny you are talking about. It is not unusual for the
stools to be soft and yellow in color at a week old. They won't get solid
until they are eating solid food. They should be able to eat as much as they
wish about 4 times a day at this age. I would recommend a lamb milk replacer
instead of goat milk replacer or even whole cows milk as real milk seems to
be better than the replacer. Maybe you could find a dairy farmer in your
area who would sell you milk for the lambs. Real goat's milk would be good
too, but harder to find and probably more expensive than cow's milk.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jason Anders 
  To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 8:07 AM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] How much to feed bottle-fed lambs?


  Good Morning:

  One week ago we had two lambs born that were rejected by their mother.  It
seems that she didn't have enough milk and by the time we found them, they
had gone probably 5-6 hours without feeding.  We feed them colostrum and
kept them going.  We are now feeding a kid goat milk replacer recommended by
our vet but are having a hard time knowing how much to feed them.  They are
having runny stools although seem to be doing OK.  We are feeding about 4
ounces every 6 hours and also giving them some anti-diarrheal medicine.  Any
advice out there would be very much appreciated.  We have never had to
bottle feed before.  Thanks so much!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--


  _______________________________________________
  Jacob-list mailing list, sponsored by Swallow Lane Farm & Fiberworks
  Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
  http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
<http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20110404/8c46efc7/
attachment-0001.htm>

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 06:35:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jeff Bourget <jdb343 at yahoo.com>
Subject: [Jacob-list] Sick pregnant yearling ewe
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Message-ID: <369363.87082.qm at web120417.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hello jacob listers,

??? Im new here as well as to the breed, only been raising them no more then
a 
year now and ive run into my first vet bill. She stayed overnight last night

with them so they could check up on her thismorning. It seems she has
something 
stuck in her throat, and she is straining to bring it up with her cud but
keeps 
gagging and coughing with some foaming out her nose and saliva she produces
out 
her mouth. We proceeded to try to get a tube down her throat to maybe free
up 
the bloackage and releive some gas that seems to be bloating her up a bit. 
couldnt get it down into her stomach-it just wouldnt go. although this
helped 
with aiding her to cough up more hay or whatever was blocked up in her, it
didnt 
do much. This yearling now, turned one this month...has a history of eating
to 
fast and after grain from time to time i could see her straining with it but
she 
would always be alright after a few minutes. as if she just needed to
breathe 
while she was eating wich im sure she never does. All my other sheep tend to

leave the grain when they had their fill leaving the ram to finish it up. I 
think it finally hit its worst and she couldnt take it anymore. Anyway the
vet 
called this morning and said he got the tube down her, releived some
pressure to 
her belly were he could feel her lamb moving around, so she very well could
be 
close to giving birth. He put down a mixture of charcoal like liquids to see
if 
that would help her with any toxins she may have ate. Any experience in this

type of complication!? anybody?? im not sure how she will be, and ide like
to 
save her lamb if i could. Ive got to much into her at this point. 


you can see this poor girl (avis) on my site as well as all my lambs born so

far, had a ram lamb born yesterday morning out of Rona.

Josh Bourget in Rhode Island.
www.fiercehornfarm.com 


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
<http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20110404/c31d323a/
attachment-0001.htm>

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 09:37:46 -0400
From: "Betty Berlenbach" <lambfarm at tds.net>
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] How much to feed bottle-fed lambs?
To: "Carl Fosbrink" <fourhornfarm at frontier.com>
Cc: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Message-ID: <4532B9AC3FD140E9B941C1BAA37197A3 at USER5AFE0954BF>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

My understanding is that ifyou feed a lamb cowmilk, it will starve to death;
cow milk doesn't have nearly the same amount of butterfat as goat or
sheepmilk.  Goat milk replacer or goat milk is better than cow milk.  Goat
milk is probably better than lamb milk replacer...but cow milk on its
own...everything I've read is it's asking for trouble.  Does anyone else
have information corroborating this or blasting it as a myth?  (cow milk
bad)
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carl Fosbrink 
  To: Jason Anders ; jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:10 AM
  Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] How much to feed bottle-fed lambs?


  I am not sure how runny you are talking about. It is not unusual for the
stools to be soft and yellow in color at a week old. They won't get solid
until they are eating solid food. They should be able to eat as much as they
wish about 4 times a day at this age. I would recommend a lamb milk replacer
instead of goat milk replacer or even whole cows milk as real milk seems to
be better than the replacer. Maybe you could find a dairy farmer in your
area who would sell you milk for the lambs. Real goat's milk would be good
too, but harder to find and probably more expensive than cow's milk.
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Jason Anders 
    To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
    Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 8:07 AM
    Subject: [Jacob-list] How much to feed bottle-fed lambs?


    Good Morning:

    One week ago we had two lambs born that were rejected by their mother.
It seems that she didn't have enough milk and by the time we found them,
they had gone probably 5-6 hours without feeding.  We feed them colostrum
and kept them going.  We are now feeding a kid goat milk replacer
recommended by our vet but are having a hard time knowing how much to feed
them.  They are having runny stools although seem to be doing OK.  We are
feeding about 4 ounces every 6 hours and also giving them some
anti-diarrheal medicine.  Any advice out there would be very much
appreciated.  We have never had to bottle feed before.  Thanks so much!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------


    _______________________________________________
    Jacob-list mailing list, sponsored by Swallow Lane Farm & Fiberworks
    Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
    http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--


  _______________________________________________
  Jacob-list mailing list, sponsored by Swallow Lane Farm & Fiberworks
  Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
  http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
<http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20110404/16a1c2d4/
attachment.htm>

------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Jacob-list mailing list
Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list


End of Jacob-list Digest, Vol 83, Issue 2
*****************************************