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EC 1427October 1993

75¢

Artificial rearing of lambson milk replacer dietsJ. Thompson, F. Rulofson, and D. Hansen

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Figure 1.—A complete lamb milkreplacer feeder.

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For many reasons, extra ororphaned lambs occur in nearlyevery flock at lambing time.

These lambs result from ewes that dieafter giving birth to a live lamb or ewesthat fail to have sufficient milk for thenumber of lambs produced. This occuoften in flocks with ewes that have ahigh incidence of triplets and quadru-plets.

Extra lambs should be grafted toanother ewe whenever possible. Ourgoal is for ewes to raise the extra lambif the ewes have the available milk. Ifyou have three lambs in any combina-tion of adopted or natural, leave the twclosest in size with the ewe and removthe odd one, whether it is the largest osmallest. Lambs not grafted to anotheewe can be raised on milk replacer.

With multiple births, the weakest lambusually is selected for artificial rearingon milk replacer because it is lesscapable of competing at the udder.Make the decision to remove the lambfrom the ewe as soon as possible aftebirth. This eases the lamb’s trainingperiod and enhances lamb survival.

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Research indicates a newborn lambshould receive 3 ounces of colostrumper pound of body weight. Give thisduring the first 18 hours of life to buildup sufficient antibody levels andnutrients.

A 10-pound lamb would receive 30ounces of colostrum divided into fourequal doses (at birth, 6 hours, 12 hourand 18 hours). If no colostrum isavailable from the mother or anotherewe, use colostrum from goats or cowWe recommend that you keep a suppof frozen colostrum available.

If you cannot provide the indicatedamount of colostrum, give as muchas you have and make certain that thelambs receive it as early in life aspossible.

Frozen colostrumPeriodically freezing high qualitycolostrum is a good managementpractice. This ensures that colostrum iavailable the next time a newborn lambneeds it. We recommend freezingcolostrum in single feeding sizes(8 ounces). This amount can be rapidlyfrozen and thawed. Thaw frozencolostrum and feed it at bodytemperature.

The best method for thawing is at roomtemperature, but this probably will taketoo long. Be careful when thawing; donot use high heat. High heat destroysthe antibodies, which is the reason forfeeding colostrum to newborn lambs.Avoid thawing colostrum in micro-waves as it is difficult to prevent “hot”areas while thawing or warming.

Feeding the newborn lambAll lambs need to receive colostrumsoon after birth. Colostrum is thesource of antibodies for newborn lamand serves as a source of nutrients,especially energy, which is importantin preventing hypothermia. Pay closeattention to the amount of colostrumnewborn lambs receive.

James M. Thompson, Extension sheepspecialist; Franz C. Rulofson, Extensionlivestock agent (Deschutes County); anDonald Hansen, Extension veterinarian,Oregon State University.

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Colostrum supplementsSpecial “home brew” recipes forcolostrum are not effective and shouldnot be used. They do not containantibodies, so it is advisable to start thlamb on milk replacer rather than touse a “home brew” concoction that isless digestible to the lamb.

Synthetic colostrum substitutes areavailable, but more research is

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necessary to evaluate their effective-ness. Some synthetics may be moresatisfactory than no colostrum, but theprobably will not provide the levels ofantibodies needed by the lamb. It isdifficult to raise orphan lambs successfully on milk replacer if they do notreceive colostrum.

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lambs feed every 6 hours until theylearn to nurse from the nipple feeder.One or two nipple-trained lambs in thesame pen will help lead untrainedlambs to the nipples.

Feed the lambs colostrum that is thesame temperature you plan to usethroughout the feeding period. Lambsmay reject the colostrum if you changtemperature.

If you feed milk replacer by freechoice, make sure it is cold toprevent over consumption at a singlfeeding. Lambs consume 1 to 2quarts of milk replacer daily on selffeeders. This equals 1⁄2 to 1 pound ofdry milk replacer a day. Rememberthese amounts if you hand feedartificially reared lambs.

Offer hand-fed formula at bodytemperature four to six times daily for

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the first 3 days. Then feed at least twidaily and gradually increase theamount to coincide with the intakelevel of self-fed lambs.

Polyethylenetubing

Insulated chest

Nipples mounted 12"to 15" above the flooron a baffled plate.

Lamb Pen

Chest lid

Jug of ice to cool milk

• 3 to 5 lambs per nipple• 15 to 25 lambs per pen• 1/4 to 1/2 gal per lamb per day

• Equipment requires regularcleaning. A disposable plasticliner in the chest reduces the required cleaning.

Lamb Pen

Polyethylenetubing

Jug of iceto cool milk

Chest lid

• 3 to 5 lambs per nipple • Equipment requires regular• 15 to 25 lambs per pen cleaning. A disposable plastic• 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 gal per lamb per day liner in the chest reduces the

required cleaning.

Nipples mounted 12 to15 inches above the floor

on a baffled plate.

Insulated chest

Figure 2.—An example of a milk reservoir setup.

Feeding lambsAfter lambs receive three feedings ofcolostrum over the first 12 to 18 hoursof life, wait 4 to 5 hours before feedingthem liquid milk replacer. Lambs mayeither be self fed or hand fed milkreplacer. Self feeding requires lesslabor and allows the lamb to suckle asoften as it desires and to set its ownlevel of consumption. Self feeding alsohelps prevent digestive upsets.

To train lambs to suckle on self feederstart them on cold formula and help th

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Milk replacersUse a milk replacer designed for lamband follow the manufacturer’s direc-tions. It should contain 30 to32 percent fat, 22 to 24 percent proteinand 22 to 25 percent lactose (dry mattbasis). Protein should come from milkprotein, and fat should come from ananimal source.

Do not use milk replacers made forcalves and pigs on lambs as they do ncontain enough protein and fat. Freshcow’s milk also is not suitable fororphan lambs for the same reason.You can use fresh goat’s milk to raiseorphan lambs successfully.

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Metal baffle

Plastic tubes to milk reservoir

2 1/2"

Nipple

3"

3"

2 1/2" Metal baffleNipple

Plastic tubesto milk reservoir3"

3"

Figure 3.—An example of a nipple bar. The metal baffle prevents lambs from chewing holes in nipples. Modify the lethe number of lambs being fed.

21⁄2"

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Figure 4.—An example of a Lam-Bar type nipple and tube.

Feeding equipmentIf you plan to feed lambs by freechoice, you will need a feeder. Sizedepends on the number of lambs youare handling. A feeder for liquid milkreplacer also should keep the milkclean. You also may need to cool themilk to prevent spoilage. Figures 1, 2,and 5 show examples of feeders. Onself feeding systems, allow 3 to 5lambs per nipple in groups of 15 lambor less.

Three nipple types are available.The self-primed type has a valve and attached to a plastic tube. Lambs cansuckle these with minimum effort, andit may best be suited for weak lambs.This type of nipple tends to clog easilyand is difficult to clean. Another typeof nipple (Figure 4) is attached to aplastic tube, and the lamb has to beable to suck so it will pull the milkreplacer through the tube and nipple.The third, newer type, is the bottomfeeding nipple. The milk flows bygravity. Train lambs on the type ofnipple you plan to use during the entirfeeding period.

Keep feeding utensils as germ-free aspossible. Infectious diarrhea easilyspreads from dirty equipment and theenvironment.

provide supplemental heat until thelambs are nursing well. Researchindicates that lambs raised at 68°Fgain weight faster than those raisedat 46°F.

Lambs may be raised on gravel, dirt,or concrete floors bedded with strawor wood shavings.

Raising lambs on a slotted or ex-panded metal floor may be the easiesway to keep an area clean and dry.Provide about 2 square feet per lambon expanded metal and 6 to 7 squarefeet per lamb on bedded solid floors.

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artificially reared lambs on dry feedDo not feed hay or oats to start lambson dry feed as these feeds tend to cabloat. Avoid leafy alfalfa hay for up to2 weeks after weaning since it also caresult in bloat problems. Provide freshclean water at all times.

Locate containers for feed and wateroutside the pen area with the lambshaving access to these through a panThis type of arrangement allows lambto eat but not be able to contaminatefeed and water with fecal matter. Keefeed fresh by offering just slightlymore than they will consume in a 24-hour period.

FacilitiesPlace lambs to be raised on milkreplacer in a draft-free, well-ventilatedarea. Use a heat lamp suspended awafrom walls (this prevents lambs fromcrowding on top of one another) to

Creep feedingOffer creep feed to lambs once thestart on the milk replacer. The feedshould be palatable and contain atleast 20 percent crude protein.Many shepherds use soybean meaor a creep feed that is at least 50percent soybean meal to start

WeaningWean lambs at about 4 weeks of age when the lambs have consumed20 to 25 pounds of dry milk powder.Feeding milk replacer longer than thisis not cost effective. Before weaning,make sure lambs are eating some sol

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food.Research at the U.S. Sheep Experi-ment Station at Dubois, ID, indicatesthat weaning lambs abruptly frommilk at 4 to 5 weeks works betterthan offering a diluted milk replacerthe last week.

Keep lambs healthyAll artificially reared lambs shouldbe vaccinated for enterotoxemia(Clostridium perfringens, types C andD) shortly after starting them on milkreplacer and again 3 weeks later.Lambs that do not receive colostrumshould be vaccinated immediatelywith clostridium type C and Dantitoxin.

If scours occur, check the environ-ment for contamination, drafts, andproper temperature. Evaluate yoursanitation procedures, and if scourspersist, treat the lambs with antibiot-ics recommended by your veterinar-ian.

Figure 5.—An example of a milkreplacer feeder attached to the outsidof a pen. This feeder uses a Lam-Barnipple and tube.

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Trade-name products and services are mentioned as illustrations only. This does not that the Oregon State University Extension Service either endorses these products anservices or intends to discriminate against products and services not mentioned.

Extension Service, Oregon State University, Corvallis, O.E. Smith, director. This publtion was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 an30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the UDepartment of Agriculture, and Oregon counties.

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