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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 200
If the ewe appears to have accepted a grafted lamb that is several days older than her newborn, then hobble the orphan's legs so that it doesn’t get up and run around too much at first. Let the newborn lamb have the first chance to nurse because your older, orphaned lamb does not need the colostrum. The age of the orphaned or rejected lamb is an important factor. Because it is older, it is larger, so be on the look out to make sure the newly born gets its fair share of milk and the orphan gets the "lion's" share. Needless to say both lambs will have to be supervised carefully.
Another "trick" is to save the water bag from a ewe, and freeze it in half pint (3/4 liter) quantities. When you have a need, thaw the fluid at room temperature and pour it over the ewe's nose and then onto the lamb you want her to accept as her own. This is not the best way, but it is worth trying.
Coaxing a ewe that has lost her lamb to take an orphan:
Should a ewe deliver a dead lamb and there is a young orphan that needs a mother, take the orphan and dunk it in warm water containing a little bit of salt and some molasses. Dip your hand in the warm water and wet its head and put the orphan in front of her, by the time she licks off the salt and molasses, there is a good chance that she had adopted the lamb. If the orphaned lamb is several days old it does not benefit from colostrum, which is the first milk produced by the mother and provides the lamb with temporary immunity, so milk the ewe and freeze the colostrum for use in future emergencies.
There is another approach to grafting that is relative to any orphaned/rejected lamb.
The traditional way in which to get a mother to accept a lamb that is not her own is that when a ewe gives birth to a dead lamb, or it dies shortly thereafter, the skin is removed from the dead lamb, and then fastened like a coat over the orphan. Skinning a dead lamb is not a simple process, and is not the most pleasant things to have to do, the drawback with this process is that most likely you do not know why the lamb died, and you could in fact be transferring germs and disease
A cleaner approach is to rub a damp towel over the dead lamb, and then rub the towel on the orphan, but before doing this the orphan should be washed with warm water, giving special attention to washing the rear end, which is the first identifying place a ewe sniffs.
Bottle feeding:
Bottle feeding is time consuming but is one of the greatest enjoyment in sheep raising.
Even if a ewe is weak from hard labor and/or has no
Another "trick" is to save the water bag from a ewe, and freeze it in half pint (3/4 liter) quantities. When you have a need, thaw the fluid at room temperature and pour it over the ewe's nose and then onto the lamb you want her to accept as her own. This is not the best way, but it is worth trying.
Coaxing a ewe that has lost her lamb to take an orphan:
Should a ewe deliver a dead lamb and there is a young orphan that needs a mother, take the orphan and dunk it in warm water containing a little bit of salt and some molasses. Dip your hand in the warm water and wet its head and put the orphan in front of her, by the time she licks off the salt and molasses, there is a good chance that she had adopted the lamb. If the orphaned lamb is several days old it does not benefit from colostrum, which is the first milk produced by the mother and provides the lamb with temporary immunity, so milk the ewe and freeze the colostrum for use in future emergencies.
There is another approach to grafting that is relative to any orphaned/rejected lamb.
The traditional way in which to get a mother to accept a lamb that is not her own is that when a ewe gives birth to a dead lamb, or it dies shortly thereafter, the skin is removed from the dead lamb, and then fastened like a coat over the orphan. Skinning a dead lamb is not a simple process, and is not the most pleasant things to have to do, the drawback with this process is that most likely you do not know why the lamb died, and you could in fact be transferring germs and disease
A cleaner approach is to rub a damp towel over the dead lamb, and then rub the towel on the orphan, but before doing this the orphan should be washed with warm water, giving special attention to washing the rear end, which is the first identifying place a ewe sniffs.
Bottle feeding:
Bottle feeding is time consuming but is one of the greatest enjoyment in sheep raising.
Even if a ewe is weak from hard labor and/or has no