Adopting lambs.

[PhilipB]

I feel inadequate in my adopting prowess.

People on the "triplet" discussion talked of adopting off a spare triplet as if sheep families were Lego bricks that could be clicked together at will.

In 300 ewes I manage a "wet" adoption about once a year. (I find it's often scuppered by the lamb announcing that this is not her mother and walking off, not being hungry enough to head for the udder )

I've never done the skinning technique (usually I'm dealing with surplus lambs rather than replacing dead ones)

So it's head restraint, in one of those "four heads looking into a square" formations. I find this only has about a 60% success rate.

And I dislike every part of this process... Wrestling the sheep in, sheep hates it.
Adoptee lamb baas madly. Sheep knows a strange lamb is back there and doesn't like it.
Sheep kicks around. Adoptee lamb refuses to feed...
Both lambs feed! I have 36 hours of trouble free milk! I fear this will end in scenes of domestic violence when she comes out. This disincentivises me from releasing her... Then I'm manically busy and no pens free to put her into. Time passes. I'm wracked with guilt as to how long she's been confined. I get them out..

Then it..
A) looks happy.
B) it looks like a negotiated truce where lamb is tolerated
C) the lamb is blunted around the pen.

(in scenario B I suspect that they are labelled up as a pair, go out to the field and loose contact)

The one time I'm thoroughly happy using the adopter is for ewes rejecting their own lambs - then I feel she deserves the unpleasantness.

How is it done properly?

I've read that in twenty minutes the ewe has decided which lambs are hers. Does that mean your need to do head restraint within twenty minutes of birth (which feels very early)?

And at what age does a pet lamb loose its ability to latch on to a mother?

I also find that unless a sheep loses a lamb, the ewes that scan as singles and are fed as singles generally aren't that fat and ready for another lamb adopted on.

As things stand at the moment, I never split a triplet until I know she can't manage them, and got a milk machine (heatwave) last year for the pets. But in an ideal world I'd liked to adopt more.

 

[Al R]

Close to 1800 lambs here and no pets
a wet adoption: I use a builders bucket which is flexible with 2 handles(45litre I think?) Also take 300ml of warm water incase it’s a dry birth. Put the “pet” or triplet in the bucket and deliver the single into the bucket, all fluids etc will poor from the ewe into the bucket. If it’s a dry birth either put 300ml onto the newborn lamb to get the smelly fluids off it or put the 300ml into the ewe and push her belly up - ideally if you’ve got the water bag there is no need for the water. Leave the older lamb in the bottom of the bucket and slosh the fluids over it. Place the newborn lamb on top of the triplet so that they fight to get out - place in a pen, leave for 20 minutes if possible. Last year I did over 180 like this, this year probably 70-90?
I find skinning to time consuming and it can take days to adopt, I’ve since moved onto what the staff call the gravy boat. Slice the dead lamb from naval down to between the base of the legs revealing all the organs, stand over a builders tub while doing this, while holding the front end of the lamb between your legs, lift the hind legs up so it’s shaped like a boat and pour in 300ml of warm water, this will get any excess blood out - if still not much squeeze the liver so blood comes out. Place adoptee inside the bucket with all of the blood/fluids and place in the pen - this year done over 60-70 like this and only 10 skinnings. I’m finding with the gravy boat their often back out the next day.

I hate guillotines and only use them for milk Bars, I find the ewes hate the lambs more even if it’s their own lambs! at one stage this year I had a AF ewe with stacks of milk but killed her own lambs, I put 4 lambs on her in the guillotine until I had ewes for them to go onto.

In terms of what age to do lambs, depends on the strength of the lamb, if a wet adoption onto a live lamb I only use lambs under 36 hours old unless it’s a weakIsh lamb and then maybe 72hours, anything older or a very strong lamb goes on ewes with no other lamb to fight with. I only ever tube lambs and never bottle feed them, they will go back onto ewes that way, if you bottle feed them they get a human connection and will starve before they hunt for a ewes teat.

I also don’t check the shed from 11pm-7am And only some triplets and singles in the shed - if I had the lot in I would obviously be able to do more adoptions but I have no pets so no need maybe ?‍

 

[Chasingmytail]

I only do wet adoption rest goes in pet pen. I didnt have many losses this year so didnt have to skin. But the issue of adopting onto a single is the best one. Given up with too many losses and stress with the traditional adoption units seen too many cracking lambs squashed. Never again.

I find if done properly it works well. They accept from the moment.

As above Al R

You have to pen up the single the moment you see the ewe in labour
When close zip tie the back legs of a healthy pet lamb
In a warm salty big plastic bucket type (the ikea storage ones work well)
Grab/explode as much bag/juice into a small bucket rub this into the lamb

The minute the lamb is born grab it and take to container and slosh it around with the pet. rubbing in around the tail and neck. Get the gloppy stuff and wrap around the neck.
Put the pet in the ewe pen first!
Once she has licked it and accepted it put the real lamb on top.
Once the real lamb has got up and sucking, snip the zip tie off the pet.

Only use a strong pet not a weak one I find the shock doesnt do it an good and it much have lust to suck. Weak lambs build up for a few days first.

Just need to have an area set up well with buckets, snips, salt and a flask of warm water to break down the salt first.

Works well however you need to stand around a lot and be prepared.

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

The OP describe a similar scenario to mine, I find wet adoptions work best ,especially if the new lamb is still wet . AL R has a good idea about not bottle feeding new lambs so they don't become dependent on the bottle.

 

[Chasingmytail]

Ive been feeding all mine by bottle and they are def keen and not had any issues with not going for the teats either. If the lamb is strong I find they are still keen.

 

[spark_28]

had a lleyn gimmer on her first lamb have a dead hung lamb. got a 2 day old triplet off a neighbour, give it a quick rub down with the dead one, held her for about 20 seconds for the lamb to suck and left them to it. let her out the pen the following morning.

i wouldnt bottle feed possible adopted lambs either

 

[Sheep92]

You need something to catch the fluids and cable ties for the lambs your putting on, did about 80 wet adoptions here this year with a 95% success rate,
Far more successful if your putting 2 strange lambs on a ewe, I then put the single lamb just born in front of another single that's ready to lamb

 

[hendrebc]

Wet adoptions work better if you dunk the lamb in warm water first then birthing fluid. Not that I do many of them.

 

[PhilipB]

You need something to catch the fluids and cable ties for the lambs your putting on, did about 80 wet adoptions here this year with a 95% success rate,
Far more successful if your putting 2 strange lambs on a ewe, I then put the single lamb just born in front of another single that's ready to lamb

Wow! So you are deliberately removing the mother's own lamb!?

 

[exmoor dave]

I feel inadequate in my adopting prowess.

People on the "triplet" discussion talked of adopting off a spare triplet as if sheep families were Lego bricks that could be clicked together at will.

In 300 ewes I manage a "wet" adoption about once a year. (I find it's often scuppered by the lamb announcing that this is not her mother and walking off, not being hungry enough to head for the udder )

I've never done the skinning technique (usually I'm dealing with surplus lambs rather than replacing dead ones)

So it's head restraint, in one of those "four heads looking into a square" formations. I find this only has about a 60% success rate.

And I dislike every part of this process... Wrestling the sheep in, sheep hates it.
Adoptee lamb baas madly. Sheep knows a strange lamb is back there and doesn't like it.
Sheep kicks around. Adoptee lamb refuses to feed...
Both lambs feed! I have 36 hours of trouble free milk! I fear this will end in scenes of domestic violence when she comes out. This disincentivises me from releasing her... Then I'm manically busy and no pens free to put her into. Time passes. I'm wracked with guilt as to how long she's been confined. I get them out..

Then it..
A) looks happy.
B) it looks like a negotiated truce where lamb is tolerated
C) the lamb is blunted around the pen.

(in scenario B I suspect that they are labelled up as a pair, go out to the field and loose contact)

The one time I'm thoroughly happy using the adopter is for ewes rejecting their own lambs - then I feel she deserves the unpleasantness.

How is it done properly?

I've read that in twenty minutes the ewe has decided which lambs are hers. Does that mean your need to do head restraint within twenty minutes of birth (which feels very early)?

And at what age does a pet lamb loose its ability to latch on to a mother?

I also find that unless a sheep loses a lamb, the ewes that scan as singles and are fed as singles generally aren't that fat and ready for another lamb adopted on.

As things stand at the moment, I never split a triplet until I know she can't manage them, and got a milk machine (heatwave) last year for the pets. But in an ideal world I'd liked to adopt more.

We don't feed our singles either, early flock or April flock, so twining up singles is abit of a non starter.
Trouble is if you feed the singles too well for the milk you get big lamb birthing difficulties.

April flock, all singles lambed outside on the steeps, so zero chance or wish to interfer by trying a triplet on.

It does mean a pen of tibby lambs though ?

 

[Sheep92]

Wow! So you are deliberately removing the mother's own lamb!?

Yes l, had over 120 ewes carrying 3 or more this year so needs must

 

[crazy_bull]

Rarely have a wet adoption fail, do as above, however always tie the imposters legs so it can't jump up and bugger off, also makes a lot of fuss trying to get up so the ewes mothering instincts kick in, as it acts like a newborn trying to get up, it also stops it stripping the ewe out before it's real lamb has had a go. Once her real lamb has had a good feed release the imposter and bingo,

C B

 

[neilo]

Wow! So you are deliberately removing the mother's own lamb!?

It does mean there’s a better chance of her going out with two.?

I’ve never used a bucket/trug and too tight to buy cable ties, so tie the ‘new’ lamb’s legs with baler twine and lie him under the ewe’s back end to catch the fluid. As above, he’s always dunked in a water trough first too, so his wool will absorb more of the fluid.
If you are putting one on with her own, taking her own away for half an hour helps too.

A Cade lamb that has never sucked a ewe can be a bit slow at finding a ewe’s teat, but if they’ve suckled a ewe for a day, they are usually ok ime (likewise trying to get a 3 week old lamb to suck a bottle when he’s never seen one).

Some ‘more maternal’ genetics in the ewe breed will make fostering more of a challenge. My Highlanders are very difficult to get to take one, unless it’s put on before she’s seen her own, and sometimes even then... The Texel crosses from which they descend would have taken with a 99% success rate, as did Cambridge crosses and various mules before that. The Highlanders seem to develop a much stronger bond, faster, which has it’s downside in a fostering situation.

Skinning lambs is a very useful skill to learn too, with a near 100% success rate ime. I did three last night and they all seem totally oblivious to the fact their dead lambs had suddenly wanted a feed again.
My parents have never skinned lambs, and I was only shown by a night lamber when I was in my late twenties. It might seem a bit gruesome perhaps, but incredibly effective where you have a dead lamb.

 

[Optimus]

Wow! So you are deliberately removing the mother's own lamb!?

Do this all the time

Take triplet of mother at birth

Take singles own lamb away put two equal sized triplets on to her.

Fill buckets with water bags from other sheep so you have plenty spare fluid for adopting on.

 

[PhilipB]

Do this all the time

Take triplet of mother at birth

Take singles own lamb away put two equal sized triplets on to her.

Fill buckets with water bags from other sheep so you have plenty spare fluid for adopting on.

So the fluid does not have to be adopter sheep's own?

I always imagined she recognised her own smell in it.

 

[Optimus]

So the fluid does not have to be adopter sheep's own?

I always imagined she recognised her own smell in it.

No. It helps to have a stash of it.just don't leave it in the pen.they seem to like to drink it pretty quick.