Raising a lamb without its mother can be both taxing and rewarding. It requires some work, but can result in an animal that is friendly and tame for life.
Reasons why a lamb may need to be bottle fed
Lambs may need to be raised by humans for different reasons. Sometimes,
- a new mother may be more interested in feeding herself than her offspring
- the ewe gets separated from her newborn and doesn’t bond
- a mother with multiples may accept a strong lamb and reject a weaker one
- a mother with multiples such as triplets or quads may have trouble nursing all
- a new mother may feel skittish toward her new offspring
- the ewe may be injured, infirm, or passes away
When to adapt a baby lamb to bottle feeding
During lambing season, you’ll want to have colostrum replacer on hand, along with a bottle or other means to dispense nourishment to a lamb who might need intervention. If a newborn lamb does not get colostrum within the first several hours of life, it can perish. For the first 24 hours of life, this is what its mother produces, and this is nutritionally what a newborn requires.
If ewes do not take to their lambs, establishing a bond or “tricking” a ewe into letting her offspring nurse can be challenging. A ewe may be placed in a stanchion and her head locked in place so that she can eat and the lamb can nurse. Nevertheless, there still may be issues with bonding. Sheep more than other ruminants in my experience can be difficult in this regard.
(We had an experienced ewe who had successfully raised triplets reject a lamb. At first, we suspected she was simply confused that the lamb was actually hers. After we placed it near her to nurse, she momentarily regarded it, before sending it airborne with a
A Pritchard style nipple fits this cooking sherry bottle
butt of her head).
We have several nursing bottles on hand, and I find the Pritchard style nipples work well. If you do not have or cannot readily find livestock bottles at your local feed store, a condiment bottle and certain soda pop bottles will also work.
How to feed a newborn lamb
A newborn lamb rejected by its mother will often be wet if the dam failed to lick it clean. An old towel or t-shirt can be used to dry and swaddle the lamb.
Mix the colostrum replacer according to instructions and serve it to the lamb at room temperature or slightly warmer (some replacers instruct around 100 degrees Fahrenheit). It is usually easier to mix the replacer with warm water rather than cold, but there is a tendency for the lambs to overeat with warm colostrum/milk, so room temperature or slightly above works well for bottle babies.
Hold the lamb firmly and gently pry its mouth open and insert the bottle nipple. Some lambs instantly seem to take to it, while others require a few feedings before they finally get it. Don’t be discouraged if they resist it. Be patient.
A newborn lamb should get about four ounces in its initial feeding. It is not unusual for a lamb only to take an ounce or two the first time; you can try again shortly with the remaining colostrum replacer. It is not recommended to give a newborn more than five ounces in its first feeding.
Generally, smaller amounts in several feedings spaced out every three to four hours works well for new lambs. Thankfully, you generally do not need to get up in the middle of the night to give a lamb a bottle! However, if you have one born late in the evening and are concerned about it having had adequate nutrition before letting it alone overnight, it doesn’t hurt to check on it in the middle of the night and administer another feeding.
Avoiding overfeeding
After the first 24 hours of life, you can switch your lamb from colostrum placer to a quality milk replacer. To ease transition on their sensitive digestive systems, I mix the colostrum replacer with the milk replacer initially, before switching to the milk replacer entirely.
When mixing the milk replacer, always measure according to instructions. Do not dilute the replacer, and make sure all clumps are dissolved.
Once the lamb gets the hang of the bottle, it may act as though it is ravenous, even after consuming it in its entirety. As a general rule, the lamb should be eating 10% to 15% of its body weight per day. More frequent feedings rather than giving it much at once helps prevent digestive issues.
You can offer a new lamb some hay and even lamb starter (creep), although many bottle lambs won’t start nibbling solid foods until a few weeks of age. However, avoid feeding the lamb more than incremental amounts at a time (a half to one ounce more at a given feeding), as ruminants can easily develop troubles such as scours (diarrhea) or bloat.
Conversely, if the lamb licks at the nipple but seems to stop eating, it may be a sign that it is full. In this case, you can offer milk replacer again in a few hours.
Recognizing and treating bloat
Until the rumen is developed, a lamb ingesting too much milk too quickly is susceptible to bloat. Bloat can be fatal, and any signs of it (lamb acting lethargic, disinterested in eating, swollen belly, etc) must be addressed immediately. Offering smaller feedings more frequently, rather than large feedings spread out, is a key to avoiding bloat.
If you do encounter bloat, there are a couple of options. You can call your veterinarian and have them pay a house call. Depending on the circumstances, the vet may administer antibiotics or even insert a needle into the abdomen to relieve pressure. You can also administer baking soda and water (the bicarbonate neutralizes acids in the rumen) to the lamb.
We had a lamb suffering bloat (this happened during weaning, and likely occurred because we increased the amount at a single feeding too quickly). Once we recognized what was happening, I drenched the lamb with a mixture of baking soda and water. I then proceeded to massage the lamb’s abdomen (which was prominent and hard). This went on for about an hour, with me drenching the lamb with the baking soda mixture and then vigorously massaging its belly. (I was loudly praying, too!) My hands grew tired, but at last, the lamb passed some gas.
Over the course of the next hour, we saw signs that the lamb was regaining some of its pep. My husband came and took over for me for a while. At last, with it getting late and the lamb back on its feet, we decided to retire to bed. I got up early the next morning and crept down to the barn. To my joyful ears, I heard the lamb calling loudly for its breakfast (it had heard my footsteps first and it was hungry!).
Milk substitutes
Milk replacer is costly, and at times, lamb replacer may not even be in stock at your local feed store. So what about giving a lamb goat milk or cow milk?
Getting bottle fed lambs on pasture early is important to the development of the rumen.
Sheep milk is higher in protein and in fat than goat or cow milk, and is easier to digest. Understanding that these replacements may not be as nutrient dense as the ewe’s milk or lamb replacer, we have found that new lambs do very well if goat milk is supplemented (mixed in) with their regular powdered replacer and water. On occasion, I have also supplemented with raw cow’s milk as well.
If you have a multi-species farm, supplementing with goat milk or waste milk from dairy cows may be a practical and cost-effective option. Likewise, an all-species milk replacer works for lambs if no replacer specific to lambs is in stock.
Bottle vs. Bucket Feeding
If you have several orphaned lambs, or your schedule is such that you simply cannot administer feedings throughout the day, you may wish to switch the lambs from bottle feeding to bucket feeding. You can buy the equipment from your feed supply store, or order online, but a ten gallon bucket can also be drilled and fit with the corresponding nipple.
In this instance, you will fill the bucket with COLD milk. The cold temperature ensures that the lambs do not overeat, and that the milk does not spoil. The lambs will eat smaller quantities at a time, mimicking natural habit.
CAUTION: if you have lambs of varying ages or sizes, you’ll want to watch that the smaller ones are able to access the food and not pushed out by the larger.
Introduction of solids
Lamb enjoying grain
Hay and lamb starter, along with fresh water, can be offered the first week of life. The sooner the lamb begins eating solids, particularly the starchier grains, the quicker it will develop its rumen. It is noteworthy that after three weeks, the ewe’s milk production peaks.
Creep feeding refers to feeding young livestock supplemental grain while limiting the access of the adults. If your bottle babies are housed separately, designing a situation for creep feeding won’t be necessary.
Sources and Resources:
https://extension.psu.edu
https://extension.umd.edu