Ewes milk

[Agri]

I have a suffolk ewe who lambed twins last night inside.They are now in a pen .I checked her milk not much came out this evening so i tipped her up and put her lambs on the teats but they didnt get much milk.i am giving her some meal and oats to help her out.Will she produce more milk?thanks

 

[primmiemoo]

She could come into milk, if there's no sign of lumps and bumps from mastitis. It might take 24 hours, or possibly 48 to come. How much colostrum have the lambs had to top up what they couldn't get from the ewe?

 

[Agri]

No lumps on bag.She had colostrum when lambs were born and lambs not hungry infairness just want to make sure there isn't anything wrong with the ewe.Could it be early signs of mastitis?

 

[Al R]

Could be their drinking all the time so when you check your only getting spots of milk

 

[Agri]

Lambs look to be full and are up walking to her teat alot.If this is the case that they are taking alot of milk how can I boost her production of milk

 

[yellowbelly]

Lambs look to be full and are up walking to her teat alot.If this is the case that they are taking alot of milk how can I boost her production of milk

Up her feed (assuming, as she's inside, that you are giving her some hard feed). If she's not had any, don't go banging a lot at her now or she'll scour and might get acidosis.

Turn her out onto a nice bite of fresh grass.

In an extreme case a shot of Oxytocin will help (but not sure you're that from what you say).

 

[Jonp]

Lambs look to be full and are up walking to her teat alot.If this is the case that they are taking alot of milk how can I boost her production of milk

I use sugar beat pellets

 

[rancher]

I use sugar beat pellets

There isn't enough protein in sugar beet pellets for a ewe rearing two lambs unless you've lots of good green grass to go with it. A standard ewe and lamb ration is 18 - 20% protein whereas your sugar beet pellets (as far as I know) is only about half that. If Agris ewe was on a 20%P ration for two weeks before lambing he'd see ahuge difference in the quality and quantity of colostrum.

 

[primmiemoo]

If both lambs are full today, then they're drinking little and often and she could keep it up ~ but keep an eye and presume low yield in any case. Just taken off a lamb from a ewe a bit like that to adopt on to a single that has oceans of milk. Better for the lambs all round in this case.

Keeping the feed ration for both ewes as it is. Don't want either to scour on too much nuts.

 

[Jonp]

There isn't enough protein in sugar beet pellets for a ewe rearing two lambs unless you've lots of good green grass to go with it. A standard ewe and lamb ration is 18 - 20% protein whereas your sugar beet pellets (as far as I know) is only about half that. If Agris ewe was on a 20%P ration for two weeks before lambing he'd see ahuge difference in the quality and quantity of colostrum.

Agree...only use SB pellets after lambing which seems to help develop milk supply without overburdening digestion with concentrate. As soon as milk starts after a day or so (during mothering pen up) ewes go out on grass.