Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the lamb get things settled, but it can be a real pain with other ewes that just
want to wander around in circles and carry on the whole time.) Occasionally,
the ewe will not allow the lamb to nurse because she is nervous, has a tender
or sensitive udder, or is rejecting the lamb. If the udder appears sensitive, it is
often because it is tightly infl ated with milk.
Remember my rule of thumb when you're trying to decide whether the
lamb is actually getting any milk: a lamb that is getting milk will have its little
tail whipping back and forth like a metronome at full speed. When a lamb is
getting milk, its body fi lls out quickly, its skin folds start to disappear, and its
little stomach becomes tight. When a lamb is a few hours old and is crying
continuously or has a cold mouth, it is not nursing.
If the problem appears to be nothing more than a fl ighty ewe, but the lamb
is still strong and trying to grab a teat, then restrain the ewe and allow the
lamb to nurse. The ewe can be restrained with a head gate, with a halter, or
by pushing her into a corner and leaning your weight against her. (See inset
on page 301.)
If the lamb is getting on a teat but doesn't seem to be getting milk, you
probably need to unplug the ewe. I say “unplug” and mean it literally: the
end of the teat has been protected over the past several weeks by a little waxy
plug, which is sometimes hard for a lamb to displace, especially if the lamb is
a little weak to begin with. After you've broken the plug free, strip the teat of
several squirts of colostrum by massaging down the teat between your thumb
and index fi nger.
Sometimes lambs are a bit dumb and need you to help them fi nd the teat
in the fi rst place. I've seen newborns try to nurse the front knee, wool on a
tail, and other odd spots. Grab the lamb and force its mouth over the teat
while you massage the teat to get a few squirts of milk in the lamb's mouth.
Usually, once it gets those fi rst couple of squirts, it settles down to business
with no additional assistance. But occasionally you'll fi nd a really slow one
that you have to help for longer.
You may encounter a lazy lamb that, for no apparent reason, does not want
to nurse the ewe but will take a bottle with enthusiasm. These lambs can be
maddeningly frustrating and can tax both your nerves and your patience with
regard to how long you are willing to wait to see if they will begin nursing the
ewes. We call these lambs “volunteer bummers.”
If for some reason Mom can't feed it any colostrum (no milk, bag hard
with mastitis, too many previous lambs), then you'll need to feed it like a
bummer lamb (see Orphans Lambs, page 297).
