Shepherdess feeder

[Collie lovers 2]

I have two lambs on a feeder but just can't get them to suck enough and often to thrive. Had it for years and never had this problem. Milk/teats do seem stiff to come through, could valves be done? Any help appreciated.

 

[sherg]

The volac valves never hurt to be opened up and cleaned out

 

[GTB]

With just two lambs you'd be better off bottle feeding. Two lambs aren't enough to keep the milk warm in the pipes so it's cold every time they start suckling. I bet more milk goes sour than they drink?

 

[andybk]

any warm feeder needs pipes washing through every day , keep pipes as short as possible , thats why i made my own from a cool box , all the pipes are very short and the inner bucket is smaller so less to go off , only mix whats needed , untill lambs are on cold milk

 

[Collie lovers 2]

Yes just putting out a very small amount. Thing that is annoying is that for last few years lambs have gone straight on to cold milk as something chewed heater cable!

 

[DrWazzock]

We always start on bottles of warm for a few days then go straight onto cold ad lib sucking through teat, pipe and non return valve from bucket. Normally works fine, as long as powder not lumpy in milk and blocking it. Mix it up with a battery powered drill and plaster mixing whisk attachment from builders merchant. Some lambs can be a bit awkward.

 

[GTB]

I still say it's not worth the bother of setting up and washing out a shepherdess bucket just for two lambs. Far easier to bottle feed them three or four times a day IMHO.

 

[Collie lovers 2]

Yes but this shepherdess works off the farm too and the shepherd is stockman, tractor man the lot so works for us and does better for the lambs. Just two this year but that is just chance. The thing has worked well for us for years and was in fact empty this morning so maybe I have cracked it.

 

[Greenbeast]

so maybe I have cracked it.

the machine or the problem

 

[HBush]

I have 14 this year, on two shepherdess feeders. I have used them for 10 years or more, and have learned that every lamb is an individual. I had twins last week, the mother prolapsed after lambing and sadly died. Anyway, the one lamb started drinking after one lesson from me, the other seemed impossible. I thought it was sick and it got antibiotic for 4 days. Even the bottle was a fight, for a week. Then suddenly, she got it! She was going for the teat yesterday afternoon, and winning with the best of them again today. Cross fingers and toes, she should have had more colostrum from mum, but mum collapsed after 3 hours.