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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 82
Straight after a lamb is born it is capable of absorbing antibodies that will protect it straight from its mother's milk directly into its bloodstream by the large intestine. Because the lamb's rumen is not yet working the antibodies are not yet broken down there. Antibodies are usually too large to be absorbed through the intestines and to compensate for this, Allah has provided the lamb with a condition whereby the antibodies can pass through the wall of the intestine into the bloodstream, and as it were jump-start the lamb's immune system. The first milk a ewe produces for her lamb is different from the rest of the milk it produces, this milk is called colostrum and contains extra large doses of antibodies.
Importance of Colostrum:
Needless to say, you have understood that the first milk of a mother sheep is vitally important. This milk should be received by the lamb as soon after birth as possible, this is because the intestinal lining begins to shut down from the moment of birth until it can no longer allow the passage of antibodies. This "shutting down" process takes anywhere from 16 to 48 hours.
Lambs can survive without the nutrition contained in the colostrum, however, the problem is that because they did not receive the colostrum they are very prone to diseases that would normally protect a lamb for the first vital weeks of its life before its own immunity system can start to produce them. When your ewes were vaccinated before the lambing season, the immunity they received is also passed onto their lamb through the colostrum.
Sometimes it is not possible for a lamb to receive it's mother's colostrum on account of death, disease or rejection. When such circumstances prevail, milk another ewe that has a plentiful supply of first milk, and use it for the unfortunate lamb. It is a good idea to freeze some colostrum and have it on hand for emergencies. If sheep colostrum is unavailable, then substitute with that of either a cow or goat.
There are commercial preparations available that can be purchased before lambing as a standby. These milk-whey antibody products transfer a certain amount of immunity to the newborn when mixed with a milk replacer or a diluted can of milk or cow milk for the first day. Most likely your vet (veterinarian) will have a supply on hand.
The advantage of using colostrum milk produced on your own farm is that it has antibodies that are relevant to your farm and offer better protection for the lamb.
Emergency formula for a newborn lamb:
There is absolutely no doubt that there is no satisfactory substitute for colostrum. If you are desperate, a lamb can be fed with the following for the first 2 days of its life, rather than starting out with milk replacers.
26 ounces (769 ml) milk – prepared by mixing half evaporated, condensed milk with half water.
1 tablespoon (14.8 ml)
Importance of Colostrum:
Needless to say, you have understood that the first milk of a mother sheep is vitally important. This milk should be received by the lamb as soon after birth as possible, this is because the intestinal lining begins to shut down from the moment of birth until it can no longer allow the passage of antibodies. This "shutting down" process takes anywhere from 16 to 48 hours.
Lambs can survive without the nutrition contained in the colostrum, however, the problem is that because they did not receive the colostrum they are very prone to diseases that would normally protect a lamb for the first vital weeks of its life before its own immunity system can start to produce them. When your ewes were vaccinated before the lambing season, the immunity they received is also passed onto their lamb through the colostrum.
Sometimes it is not possible for a lamb to receive it's mother's colostrum on account of death, disease or rejection. When such circumstances prevail, milk another ewe that has a plentiful supply of first milk, and use it for the unfortunate lamb. It is a good idea to freeze some colostrum and have it on hand for emergencies. If sheep colostrum is unavailable, then substitute with that of either a cow or goat.
There are commercial preparations available that can be purchased before lambing as a standby. These milk-whey antibody products transfer a certain amount of immunity to the newborn when mixed with a milk replacer or a diluted can of milk or cow milk for the first day. Most likely your vet (veterinarian) will have a supply on hand.
The advantage of using colostrum milk produced on your own farm is that it has antibodies that are relevant to your farm and offer better protection for the lamb.
Emergency formula for a newborn lamb:
There is absolutely no doubt that there is no satisfactory substitute for colostrum. If you are desperate, a lamb can be fed with the following for the first 2 days of its life, rather than starting out with milk replacers.
26 ounces (769 ml) milk – prepared by mixing half evaporated, condensed milk with half water.
1 tablespoon (14.8 ml)