DoneDeal & pet lambs

sako 85 · 07-11-2014 08:26AM

Green farmer wrote: »

My two pet lambs from earlier this year, despite my best efforts are runts . At best 1/2 size of rest of the flock. Wasn't their genes as their mother was a right big ewe who just died when lambs a few months old. A lot of work for little reward.

Greenfarmer, can ask how many times a day did you feed your pet lambs? Did you introduce meal early. We've actually had good success with pet lambs the last few years, some purebred cheviot ewe lambs that we kept as replacements and they're ever bit as big as the others.

rangler1 · 07-11-2014 08:40AM

sako 85 wrote: »

Greenfarmer, can ask how many times a day did you feed your pet lambs? Did you introduce meal early. We've actually had good success with pet lambs the last few years, some purebred cheviot ewe lambs that we kept as replacements and they're ever bit as big as the others.

Very hard to rear a lamb if it has been on it's mother for a few weeks, some of them will never take milk properly

tealcottage · 07-11-2014 09:12AM

I think pet lambs are a waste of time and money. Sell them if you can't adopt them onto another ewe.

Green farmer · 07-11-2014 11:30AM

sako 85 wrote: »

Greenfarmer, can ask how many times a day did you feed your pet lambs? Did you introduce meal early. We've actually had good success with pet lambs the last few years, some purebred cheviot ewe lambs that we kept as replacements and they're ever bit as big as the others.

About 3-4 weeks old when mother died. Gave them a few bottles a day. Left creep feed with them and they were in the garden outside my back. Reintegrated them back with the rest of flock after a month. They more or less stopped growing after that . Dosed and vitamin drenched them regularity. You just cannt beat mothers milk on tap 24 hours a day. I think it's totalling uneconomic to rear pets. However we do it because were farmers and will fight for every life !!!!