Foster ewe

Green farmer

Had a sheep lamb in the middle of night in group penn. found lamb at 7.00 this morning but lamb was very cold died shortly after it. Was a big single.Ewe is a hogget and has a bit of milk. How long afterward will she be ok to take another lamb, milk wise. I don't have another lamb to give her yet. I also have an adoption gate.
Thanks

MayoAreMagic

You can milk her yourself and she will keep producing it. I know of guys who have put a lamb on a ewe a week after losing her own one, but generally the sooner the better up to 3 or 4 days. The fact that she is young will help, she will be easier fooled. Best of luck.

Green farmer

Thanks mayo,
She's only the second ewe to lamb and I feel abit deflated. Was here until late last night and woke early this morning to check on them. You just cannt be here 24 hours a day. Roll on the next ewe, with hopefully better luck. It's like watching a kettle boiling, watching these ewes

MayoAreMagic

It is deflating when you lose an early one like that. Have you done any fostering before? If you havent then reading up on it is a good idea, and even if you have you wouldnt know what you might pick up that might improve the process. They say the ewe shouldnt be able to see the lamb while in the crate. Although if you have a crate then thit is probably designed well for the job. How it works for you anyway, I have to admit, it isnt one of my favourite jobs.

Green farmer

I did some last year with mixed results. Hopefully I'll do better this year. I can remember meeting another sheep farmer last year, and asking him if he lambs indoors ? His reply was " feck no, I gave up that kind of torture years ago" he now lambs mountain ewes outdoors. At times like this I think he might have a point !!!!

Green farmer

Thank god another two ewes lambed so far today with all alive lambs. with the potential foster ewe on standby,I was going to milk her and keep the colostrum. Anybody know the correct way of freezing it until needed ??? And if you defrosted it in a hurry , would you destroy the goodness ???
Thanks

tom_k

Green farmer wrote: »

Thank god another two ewes lambed so far today with all alive lambs. with the potential foster ewe on standby,I was going to milk her and keep the colostrum. Anybody know the correct way of freezing it until needed ??? And if you defrosted it in a hurry , would you destroy the goodness ???
Thanks

I freeze it in very small sealed plastic containers, Tupperware or the like. These can then be immersed in a larger container of warm water, no hotter than you'd put your hand into. It'll defrost quickly in these small containers and you can use a few to make up the required amount.

Very hot water or microwaving will damage or destroy the proteins in the colostrum, I've heard.

rancher

Green farmer wrote: »

Thank god another two ewes lambed so far today with all alive lambs. with the potential foster ewe on standby,I was going to milk her and keep the colostrum. Anybody know the correct way of freezing it until needed ??? And if you defrosted it in a hurry , would you destroy the goodness ???
Thanks

Keep it in the fridge if you're using it in the next 2-3 weeks

J.O. Farmer

rancher wrote: »

Keep it in the fridge if you're using it in the next 2-3 weeks

2-3 weeks seems long. It's still unpasteurised milk will it not go sour.

J.O. Farmer

tom_k wrote: »

Very hot water or microwaving will damage or destroy the proteins in the colostrum, I've heard.

That's correct. Think about how an egg changes when you cook it. That is due to the heat changing the protein.

rancher

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

2-3 weeks seems long. It's still unpasteurised milk will it not go sour.

You put a doubt in my mind, so I looked it up as sometimes the older stuff looks a bit off.....but the lambs love it....like yogurt.
Anyway , a quote from teagasc
''It is a good idea to start up a colostrum bank from ewes that have excess and store this in the fridge (for up to six weeks) for lambs from ewes with inadequate supplies ''

and where I got it
http://www.teagasc.ie/newsletters/farmingtips/2009/sheep-20090303.asp

J.O. Farmer

I stand corrected. I was just thinking about if I kept pasteurised milk for that length it would be undrinkable. The colostrum probably would be like yoghurt by then but I suppose once the antibodies are good it should be fine.

rancher

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

I stand corrected. I was just thinking about if I kept pasteurised milk for that length it would be undrinkable. The colostrum probably would be like yoghurt by then but I suppose once the antibodies are good it should be fine.

Wouldn't blame you, often wonder how they drink it.
We have a small fridge (€80) in the sheep shed, very useful, keeps the vaccines, colostrum, etc

Conmaicne Mara

Green farmer wrote: »

And if you defrosted it in a hurry , would you destroy the goodness ???
Thanks

Have heard of farmers freezing it in plastic bottles. When they want some, they cut off a slice of the bottle and frozen colostrum, would defrost faster than a large amount. Can be damaged as said above, so take the time and give them the best stuff.

Wooly Admirer

Green farmer wrote: »

Had a sheep lamb in the middle of night in group penn. found lamb at 7.00 this morning but lamb was very cold died shortly after it. Was a big single.Ewe is a hogget and has a bit of milk. How long afterward will she be ok to take another lamb, milk wise. I don't have another lamb to give her yet. I also have an adoption gate.
Thanks

Had a similar case yesterday morning. Came into the shed where a ewe was just after having a big single. Bag still over his head and he was suffocated. 60 seconds earlier and I would have saved him - anyway took him away immediately, hung him by the back legs from the front loader of the tractor and skinned him. Put the skin on spare twin lamb I had under a ewe with a bad udder.

The freshly lambed ewe took to him immediately. Tied his legs up for an hour so that he wouldn't be running about. Once untied he ran straight in under her and off he went. It's worked with ewes lambed over a day or two also. If I have no lamb available, I'll leave the dead lamb with the ewe and once I get a lamb to foster, skin and wrap up the new lamb.