What's the best way to adopt lamb on to a ewe that's lost it's own at birth...its not shown any interest in the dead lamb so skinning it seems bit pointless?I ve not got a adoption crate ,could I just tie the ewe up some how?
Lamb adoption methods
- Thread starter Further a field
- Start date
Skintagain
Member
- Location
- Perched on the Pennines
I wouldn’t waste my time if it’s not no interest in its lamb. Kebabs
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
never ever do adoption crates again lost too many good lambs - waste of time - either wet adoption or pets. Agree above if she hasnt got the bond then move on could be a complete waste of time and effort - you havent said whether a good ewe or ewe lamb. I usually tie up lazy ewes if they mess around but takes effort.
Boydvalley
Member
- Location
- Bath
Cull price is very good. Will nearly pay for its replacement.
- Location
- Galloway
For the few minutes to skin it's worth trying.a lively Lamb helps
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
If it didn’t want it’s own it won’t want someone else’s....hang it up
Is it a Texel x ? Have spent many wasted hours over the years trying to persuade
some totally disinterested, white-faced, block-headed b!tch to take to her own lambs let alone a foster. If the ewe can’t be bothered, then neither can I, down the road.
some totally disinterested, white-faced, block-headed b!tch to take to her own lambs let alone a foster. If the ewe can’t be bothered, then neither can I, down the road.
- Location
- Lancashire
If the ewe has plenty of milk and you have a spare lamb, then stick them in a pen and give them a chance. Squirt milk all over the lamb then it smells like its own. If it's not that interested then it probably won't kill it either. You might have to stand and let it suck a time or two. If it fails then you can still sell it, trade should be good 'till after Ramadan
Yes it is a texel cross with a block head!
Cull market is next week ..I ll try and get a lamb on it ...if not off it goes seems to be the concesus
Boydvalley
Member
- Location
- Bath
It is a strange thing that we want our ewes to be good protective mothers yet get frustrated when we can’t get them to take another lamb. Fighting nature.
Does that work? If it does, I will award you the gold medal in lambing hints. Or an honorary Knighthood
4course
Member
- Location
- north yorks
well a few despondent chaps on here ,todays good news . ewes and lambs outside last night not wet but cold, one found half dead ,brought into house and laid near the bottom oven of the aga spark out and shivering eyes shut no bleat, however after a couple of hours lifted its head a bit so tubed with milk again and lo and behold an hour later a bleat another feed then remarkably trying to stand on the tiles , laid towel down so it could get a grip and then it repaid mrs 4 courses care by shitting all over it but now reunited in a pen with its mother ,grand ,where theres life theres hope grandkids saw him and now want to name him being easter the obvious is not pc so will settle on minty will take less explaining
- Location
- N.Lincs
Ooooh, what a lovely turn of phrase
Before my other half and I (or,other three-quarters,to be more accurate), became an item, he had had very little to do with sheep, cattle being his particular choice of misery and worry.Ooooh, what a lovely turn of phrase
So,when he went to a farm sale, to spend very little on not much,or so he told me, but then came home with 10 purebred Texel ewe lambs, he was a bit miffed when I didn't share his enthusiasm for his purchases.
"Those", said he from on high," those are the sort of sheep we should be keeping, not that motley assortment of whatever it is you've got".
Of course,like most ideas people, he did not involve himself in the day to day mundane care of said super sheep, that,along with lambing, was down to Sawney here as it was most years.
Now, I have had some nightmares of lambings over the years, mostly dealing with other peoples problems.
Like the year I spent night lambing on a place that kept Cluns, at least 20 years after most half sane farmers had long since given up on a breed with a pelvis even narrower than its little pointy, brainless head. A breed that didn't have enough milk to keep a mouse alive.
Or the friends of friends who had bought some sheep to keep the grass in their horse paddocks down, and would ring me at all hours of the day and night to come and help lamb sheep so grossly fat I could of stuck a wick up their backside and used them as giant candles.
But, those short-necked,snuffling super sheep, I have never,before or since, lambed sheep that had zero, absolutely zero, mothering instinct. The only saving grace was there was only 10 of the bl**dy things. The weird thing about them was they were completely silent when they lambed. They didn't bleat or call, didn't separate themselves away from the other sheep, just lie down,lamb, get up, walk back to feeder and eat.After the fourth or fifth had lambed I gave up trying to getting to show any interest in their offspring and either adopted their lambs on or stuck them in the tiddler pen.
Unfortunately it didn't put Himself of buying sheep without adult supervision, the year after He bought some badger-faced ewes on a whim out of Hereford market. He still couldn't understand why I was less than pleased with his purchases.
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
Funny you say that, my idiots stand over the dead lambs for three days if I leave them and loiter about where it died if I remove. Got one thats lamb died in a pen with her in shed, I put her out and she’s still insistent on getting back to shed and that would be a week ago it died or probably more.
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
I find they do work at times, some ewes are just idiots and won’t take anything (kill it) or just won’t take a lamb that isn’t theirs. But I do find them helpful if you’ve a ewe that pretty much likes the adoption but it’s a bit of a crap lamb or she’s just a bit unsure. 24 hours in a headyoke and it usually works out ok.
Out of curiosity why do you lose the lambs?
- Location
- N.Lincs
You really should write a book (if you can ever get your hand extradited out of the back end of a ewe )
- it'd be a best seller.PS. If you ever do.... and it is......, just remember my 5%
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
You just gave me my first laugh in a while. You have a superb way with words. Please write a book.