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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 198
If all your attempts to graft a lamb to a ewe have failed, to save the lamb you must use stronger methods. One solution is to either pen or tie the ewe in such a way that she cannot hurt the lamb and it can nurse regularly in safety. This may require tying the ewe's hind legs together to temporarily immobilize her to prevent her from keeping the lamb from nursing. As for the lamb, it won't have the usual guidance from a mother therefore you may need to give it a helping hand by holding the ewe and pushing the lamb to the udder.
Caution: You must be careful to exercise judgement in the size of the lamb that you are attempting to graft. If an orphaned lamb is a week old it may be aggressive when it nurses and this can frighten the ewe. If you are trying to graft two lambs of different size and age, the weaker or younger lamb may not be able to compete. This can cause its growth to be stunted and at worst starved and die.
The most likely situation you could encounter is when a ewe delivers twins and rejects one. When this happens spray the rear end of both lambs with a confusing scent, this is the easiest thing to try first, and very often works.
Should a ewe start displaying any signs of hostility towards one of her twins, take action straight away because she will start butting it. The best thing to do in this situation is to tie her up. The sooner you stop her from comparing the smell of the two lambs, the sooner she will accept the rejected one. When a ewe has to be tied up, be sure that she gets a frequent supply of water, leaving water in front of her may not be a good idea.
Grafting an orphan to a different ewe:
When another ewe goes into labor and just one lamb is expected, this could be the right time to graft an orphaned/rejected lamb on to that ewe.
Prepare for this by having a bucket of warm water and an empty bucket at hand. Keep the rejected/orphaned lamb close at hand and watch as the lambing progresses. As soon as the water bag emerges catch it and empty the contents into the empty bucket.
Then:
1. As the ewe delivers her own lamb, dunk the rejected lamb into the water bag fluid. If you were unable to catch the water bag, immerse the lamb into the warm water up to its head.
2. Rub the two lambs together, especially the tops of the head and the rear ends.
3. Place them both at the ewe's nose. More often than not she will lick them and assume they are both hers.
The newborn must not be neglected in your attempt to find a new mother for the orphaned/rejected lamb. The new mucus on the
Caution: You must be careful to exercise judgement in the size of the lamb that you are attempting to graft. If an orphaned lamb is a week old it may be aggressive when it nurses and this can frighten the ewe. If you are trying to graft two lambs of different size and age, the weaker or younger lamb may not be able to compete. This can cause its growth to be stunted and at worst starved and die.
The most likely situation you could encounter is when a ewe delivers twins and rejects one. When this happens spray the rear end of both lambs with a confusing scent, this is the easiest thing to try first, and very often works.
Should a ewe start displaying any signs of hostility towards one of her twins, take action straight away because she will start butting it. The best thing to do in this situation is to tie her up. The sooner you stop her from comparing the smell of the two lambs, the sooner she will accept the rejected one. When a ewe has to be tied up, be sure that she gets a frequent supply of water, leaving water in front of her may not be a good idea.
Grafting an orphan to a different ewe:
When another ewe goes into labor and just one lamb is expected, this could be the right time to graft an orphaned/rejected lamb on to that ewe.
Prepare for this by having a bucket of warm water and an empty bucket at hand. Keep the rejected/orphaned lamb close at hand and watch as the lambing progresses. As soon as the water bag emerges catch it and empty the contents into the empty bucket.
Then:
1. As the ewe delivers her own lamb, dunk the rejected lamb into the water bag fluid. If you were unable to catch the water bag, immerse the lamb into the warm water up to its head.
2. Rub the two lambs together, especially the tops of the head and the rear ends.
3. Place them both at the ewe's nose. More often than not she will lick them and assume they are both hers.
The newborn must not be neglected in your attempt to find a new mother for the orphaned/rejected lamb. The new mucus on the