Lamb experts need help again please

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Lamb experts need help again please

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Kirstie

Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Posts: 94
Location: Scotland

Posted: Thu May 12, 05 6:59 am Post subject: Lamb experts need help again please

I am just about to acquire a flock of Dutch Zwartbles, the problem being is one of the lambs apparently would not bottle feed, all the ewes had lost their milk due to poor management, hence the reason why they have come to me, because the lamb would not bottle feed they tried to use a tube direct to the stomach ending in the lamb swallowing it, apparently it is now bottle feeding and maintaining weight, I am worried about what effect the tube will have and what can be done to retrieve the tube if possible with the minimum amount of stress to the lamb. Anyone any ideas, I am going to pick them up today and would appreciate any help in this matter.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Thu May 12, 05 8:15 am Post subject:

Blimey - swallowing the whole tube?! If it has, the prospects aren't too healthy I should imagine, as the poor thing's insides aren't large enough yet to allow the tube to pass through, and the tube will probably be bundled up in the stomach, preventing the lamb from taking on much milk.
How much milk is it taking? It should be putting on weight quite rapidly now, and just maintaining it isn't a good sign.
To be honest, this sounds like a job for the vet. (�� - gulp!)

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat May 14, 05 9:29 pm Post subject:
Kirstie, I agree with Gervase. Vet job for this one. Could be expensive. Did it get colostrum when it was born or has it always been hand fed.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Sun May 15, 05 12:16 am Post subject:
How old is the lamb?...Big enough to cut your losses and send to the butcher?...Might be cheaper than the vet, sadly.

Kirstie

Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Posts: 94
Location: Scotland

Posted: Sun May 15, 05 11:20 am Post subject:

Thanks Gervase, I have only just picked these up, from my understanding they were feeding from the ewes to start of with, the ewes lost their milk from poor management and only one lamb is still suckling from the ewes. The rest are being bottle fed.They have all had colostrum. On seeing the lamb that had swallowed the tube it is not by any means thin and is taking the same amount of feeding as its siblings with no apparent problems. He is seven weeks old.

Thanks Madman, these were never intended for the butchers these are rare breeds and would be sold at the rare breed auctions, as lambs providing they have the correct markings they can make roughly �150 a piece depending on the market at the time, as fully grown tups/ewes they make upwards of �300. Typically, the tup lamb in question is the best marked of the lot excluding the fully grown ewes and tups.

I will speak to the vet as he is due down here on Friday and ask regarding prices etc. I was hoping there was some way of extracting the tube, having never had to do this with any of my lambs. And I was hoping to breed from him when he comes of age.

They are terrific lambs and we have one that came to us a while ago who was again supposed not to be able to bottle feed and it took all of five minutes to get him to the bottle, the problem we have though now is that he lives in the house and thinks he is a dog, he has a litter tray, and even had a dog basket which he has commandeered, being the largest of the lot so my other dogs squeeze into the smaller ones! He even on an evening gets up onto the settee and watches television... Im used to strange habits in animals but not quite like this

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 8:28 am Post subject:
Good luck! Isn't it always the way - the best beast is the one that cause you the most problems?

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