training a 2 week old lamb to the bottle

[DartmoorEwe]

Oh boy, I have just had a ewe die and her 2 week old lamb has joined the bottle lambs. I've never had success training a 2 week old lamb to the bottle. Lamb has just watched the other 3 get a bottle and seemed interested but clueless. What works for you? Adopting it on to another ewe is not an option as I've finished lambing.

 

[puppet]

Teat stuck in the mouth, squirt some warm milk and poke your finger well back over the tongue.

And repeat.
Some will drink from a small bucket but needs penned separately to make sure.

 

[JSmith]

Hunger will get him to drink eventually, hopefully!! I know what you mean though, some just won’t do when they’ve come off a ewe, very annoying

 

[Paddington]

OH swears by holding the lamb to you, rubbing its side and stomach when feeding and of course talking to it, seems to work. TLC as the NHS would say.
Need to change your neame to Mary as the lamb will follow you around.

 

[BAF]

Hunger is your friend. I also find if I sit down with the lamb between my legs facing away from me and put the teat in its mouth and gently close my hand around its mouth it stops it spitting the teat out and it can only back into me and I can follow it backwards so again it can't spit the teat out. Rub their throat and chin too that helps encourage them to suck.

 

[Still Farming]

If they want to live and hungry their learn fast.

 

[DartmoorEwe]

Thanks for the advice and tips. He's taking a bit of milk but cant get the hang of sucking and he's looking dehydrated and coughing after a feed - its all so unfamiliar to him but he is trying and he's nibbling the lamb feed so that's good.

 

[Bury the Trash]

put the teat (make sure its a teat that will let a bit through fairly easily) in his mouth ,make sure it stays there, and then with your other hand put over its mouth/muzzle and squeeze up down action gently /release/squeeze /release and so on a bit like milking an udder by hand iyswim . replicating what would be his natural sucking action on the udder.

extreme hunger wont actua;lly make it more likely to suck, it actually makes them harder to sort out the longer they go withiout, because they sort of 'forget' the sucking skill /how to suck and in doing the above you are teaching it to suck again.
it will need a bit of patience and take care as usual not to choke him or cause pneumonia by forcing it on him, patience and don't give up for a few times and should work.

 

[Skintagain]

Dangle over your leg

mean the teat in the mouth

tickle its tail

it will drink on the second or third day

 

[DartmoorEwe]

He's starting to get it and no more coughing. ... Oh no, now I have hope.

 

[Mc115reed]

Hiko Lamb Mini Suckler 2 Teat

MoleOnline.com is the new website of Mole Valley Farmers the Agricultural Supplies and Equipment Merchants

www.moleonline.com

Get yourself one of these…
Set it up with bucket of milk I use come milk but you can put a fish tank heater in too warm it if you wanted
The lamb has all day and night too play around the pen being curious sucking on things like a baby does and eventually he’ll find it and realise it squirts milk… Iv never trained a cade lamb on it, bottle feed for 3 or 5 days depending on the lamb then drop them in the pen and next morning they’re always sucking… if other lambs are already on it it’s normally very very fast they learn