Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
is about 10 percent of stomach capacity. This means that lambs can't digest
cellulose early on.
Lambs shouldn't be weaned until their rumen is fairly well developed; the
earliest point at which this occurs is around 45 days. Lambs that are weaned
too early are likely to have stunted growth, and some die.
Right after birth, a lamb is capable of absorbing antibodies from the moth-
er's milk directly into its bloodstream through the large intestine. Typically,
antibodies (more about these natural disease fi ghters in chapter 7) would be
broken down in the rumen, but the lamb's rumen isn't working yet. Also, anti-
bodies are normally too large to be absorbed through the intestines. To adjust
for this, nature provides a brief window of opportunity when the antibodies
can pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream as a way to
jump-start the baby's immune system. Nature also made special accommoda-
tions by pumping up the fi rst milk, or colostrum, with extra-large doses of the
antibodies that fl oat around in the ewe's system.
Colostrum
Lambs must receive colostrum as soon as possible after birth, because the
intestinal lining begins shutting down from the moment of birth until it can
no longer allow the passage of antibodies. Picture a sieve that is at fi rst large
enough to pass marbles but is continually closing down until not even one
grain of sand can pass through. This closing process takes anywhere from 16
to 48 hours.
Although lambs can survive without the nutrition provided by the colos-
trum, it is very diffi cult for them to survive without the disease-protecting
antibodies that it contains. When your ewes have been vaccinated prior to
lambing season, they'll pass along immunity from the vaccine through the
colostrum. If it's not possible for a lamb to receive colostrum from its mother
(for such reasons as death, disease, and rejection), it will need colostrum
from another ewe. To be ready for such emergencies, collect and freeze some
colostrum before you need it. Cow or goat colostrum may be substituted for
ewe colostrum in a pinch and is often available for the asking from local farm-
ers, especially if there are dairy farms in the area, but the best colostrum is
from a ewe vaccinated prior to lambing for the diseases that are endemic to
your area.
There are also commercial preparations that are useful when colostrum is
not available. These milk-whey-antibody products transfer a certain amount
of immunity to the newborn when mixed with a milk replacer (or diluted
 
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