Pet lamb feeding

gerr

Member
Location
Mid Wales
I've ended up with 10 pet lambs this time. I don't want to be tied to the yard for the next few months feeding 3 times a day and washing bottles continually. What do people find is the best system for this sort of number. Thanks in advance.
 

aangus

Member
Location
cumbria
I've ended up with 10 pet lambs this time. I don't want to be tied to the yard for the next few months feeding 3 times a day and washing bottles continually. What do people find is the best system for this sort of number. Thanks in advance.
If they are over 10 days old just mix plenty of milk, feed it cold to keep them going to evening then repeat for during the night
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
Mole valley sell a feeder tube kit that you can effectively make your own shepherdess with its like £25-30 odd quid
 

BAF

Member
Livestock Farmer
I've got 7. I had 20 last year. All bought in. All on bottles. I've got the red wire racks from Wynnstay. I feed them whole cows milk from the neighbours show cow.
The first week is a pain because they're on warm milk 7 bottles in the microwave for 8 minutes depending on your microwave. Once you've got them trained to go on the bottle and on the racks then start giving them cooler milk until its just room temperature. Mine sits in 2 5 gallon buckets in the utility room - they got a treat the other day as it was still warm out of the cow.
Fill the bottles up, put them in the racks, steer the d**kh**d lamb that wants to drink someone milk on to its own bottle and walk away. I collect the bottles and rinse them just before their next feed.
I probably over cook them a little bit and give them 4 feeds (which works out at 2 litres per lamb) a day until they're 4weeks old then gradually wean them down to nothing by the time theyre 6 weeks. If you miss a feed occasionally it won't matter they'll just annoy you when they see you next by bleating their heads off! Ad-lib hay and creep. 10 bottles are cheaper than a Shepherdess.
 

twizzel

Member
I’ve got 12 on a ewe2 (well it’s the agrihealth equivalent). You could make one easily out of a mini suckler kit and a bucket. Mine are drinking 20 litres a day but look very well for it. Wash the bucket out and pipes at each end of day and refill with fresh milk, once all the lambs are drinking properly put cold milk in. Probably takes 5-10 minutes to do each end of day: Wean at 5-6 weeks. Creep, water and barley straw available at all times whilst on milk.
 

Longlowdog

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Aberdeenshire
Large tub, slightly smaller tub, aquarium heater, teats and non return valves with pipes are a fifth of the price of a Shepherdess. You can literally put the teats on a lick block lid, cable tie to a gate and Bob's yer uncle.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
If my automatic lamb feeder, or the electric, ever goes off, I just drop the pipes from the teats mounted on a hurdle into a bucket of cold milk and leave them to it. If you use a lick bucket with a lid, you can drill a hole in a lid to cover it.

There’s no reason why you couldn’t do the same to rear a batch of lambs, just by mixing 24 hours worth of milk at a time. It doesn’t need warming once they’re used to suckling a teat.
 

gerr

Member
Location
Mid Wales
Thanks all. I treated myself to a Heatwave (early Christmas pressie). WOW. Wish I'd done it years ago. Easy, quick, clean, lambs always full and growing like mushrooms.
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
If my automatic lamb feeder, or the electric, ever goes off, I just drop the pipes from the teats mounted on a hurdle into a bucket of cold milk and leave them to it. If you use a lick bucket with a lid, you can drill a hole in a lid to cover it.

There’s no reason why you couldn’t do the same to rear a batch of lambs, just by mixing 24 hours worth of milk at a time. It doesn’t need warming once they’re used to suckling a teat.
I don’t even take the lid off 😂

83242C21-2265-41C7-BE5A-C61DBF61FDBD.png
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
If I can figure this out you and @neilo are now my most favourite people in the whole wide world! If one more person tells me how cute pet lambs are I am going to be done for murder so you might be doing a double service here!

You owe me a beer 💁‍♂️😅
 

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