Lamb Rearing: Reliable Help in the First Hours of a Lamb's Life

Lamb Rearing: The First Hours Decide It

Whether a lamb comes through usually shows on the first day. It needs warmth, colostrum and a ewe that takes it on. If one of those is missing you have to step in quickly. For that we stock everything that should lie ready in the lambing shed: an energy boost to give by mouth, teats and feeding kit, warmth from above and aids for adoption and weight checks.

An energy boost, warmth and the colostrum

A chilled lamb does not suck, and a lamb that does not suck chills further. So the two belong together. The Globigen Lamb Doser gives weak lambs a high energy start straight into the mouth before they go to the teat. If a lamb will not drink by itself or the ewe's colostrum is not enough, you feed by bottle or bucket, and for worn teats there are spare natural rubber teats that fit lamb buckets and the one litre milk bottle. Warmth comes best from above through a lamp that keeps the lying area dry without the lamb having to leave its mother.

Adoption, restraint and weight checks

If a ewe loses her lamb or another has too many, you can foster a strange lamb on. The sticking point is the smell: the adOPT adoption spray covers the strange scent so the ewe is more likely to take the lamb. The chances are best when you act right after the birth and keep ewe and lamb close together for several hours. For calm handling the Gambrel restrainer helps, holding the animal securely and gently. And because you cannot see a lamb's progress by eye, a weigh sling with a clip fastening belongs here too: weighed regularly, you spot a stalling gain long before the lamb visibly falls behind.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly does a lamb need colostrum?
As early as possible, ideally in the first hours after birth. After that the gut takes up the antibodies far less well.

How does fostering a strange lamb work?
Through the smell. An adoption spray covers it, and the sooner you put the lamb on, the more likely the ewe is to take it.

Why should I weigh lambs?
Because the scales show a stalling gain earlier than the eye does. With a weigh sling it is quick and causes the lamb no stress.