Lambing season is a hectic time on our farm. It is a short window from February to April, but the stress is at its highest. The brutality of winter is just starting to wane and the food sources are beginning to dwindle. This is the time of year when our sheep need the most nutrients.
Our flock nearly doubles as our ewes start to give birth to their lambs. During the chaos that forms while so many mammas are giving birth and trying to bond with their newborns, some pass away from medical complications and a few end up abandoning their babies.
We try our best to prevent either from happening, but alas, Mother Nature has her own agenda.
In the event of an orphaned lamb, the first phase of operation Bottle Baby is to get as much, if any colostrum from the mother ewe. The colostrum is by far the most important food source that the lamb will ever have. It contains all the antibodies from the ewe, plus loads of nutrients for the first few days of life. If the ewe has already passed and we cannot obtain the liquid gold, our second choice is to use a formulated lamb colostrum that we purchase from our local agricultural store.
Depending on how strong the lamb is, it will either drink right from the bottle with no qualms about it, or will be tube fed if it is too weak to suck on its own. We have had success with both.
Most people ask if we could graft a lamb onto another milking ewe. While it has been done, it is extremely difficult. The majority of ewes will butt away a lamb that does not smell like her babies. This is why a lamb will wag its tail as it is nursing, they are trying to spread their own sent to their mother so she will let them nurse.
The first few days of life are critical. The lamb will need to be fed colostrum every two hours, day and night. Just like human babies, their stomachs are small and do not hold very much, so frequency is key. After three days of colostrum, we switch to a lamb milk replacer. Again, while not as nutrient rich as a ewe’s milk, it is better than the alternative.
We bring the lamb inside our house to monitor. I setup a baby gate so the lamb stays in our kitchen for easier cleanup. I also put a baby diaper on it to help with messes. The lamb lives in our house for about two weeks, depending on the size and how well it is gaining weight.
Once the lamb is up to snuff, they are transported out to the barn with any other bottle lambs.
For the next 45 days the lambs are fed 16 ounces of milk replacer three times a day. We have tried using regular cows’ milk, but they didn’t gain the weight that we wanted, so paying a little bit more in the beginning makes for a less stressful end.
While it may seem crazy to some people that I have barn animals living in my house, we as a family farm are just that, a FAMILY FARM. Our livestock are more to us than just profit margins. If we can save one lamb, that is a win. Plus, seeing a little lamb in a baby diaper has got to be one of the cutest things on this planet.