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4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LAMBS & COLOSTRUM

Regularly check lambs are receiving milk – they may look like they’re feeding, but may be missing out.

Lambs are born without antibodies and rely on the passive transfer of antibodies from their mother via her colostrum.

1 The first few hours are crucial

Research shows lambs need to be feeding from their mothers, or receiving a highquality alternative colostrum, for at least 48 hours after they’re born, but preferably 3-4 days.

The first drink needs to be as early as possible, within 6-8 hours of birth at the latest. A strong, healthy lamb, up and suckling within 15 minutes of birth, has a 90–95% chance of being alive 90 days later.

2 The best colostrum

Ideally, a lamb will get colostrum from its mother.

Second-best is fresh colostrum milked from its mother or another just-lambed ewe. However, a study of lambs fed on cow colostrum compared to those fed on ewe colostrum found no difference in lamb health and immune response between the two groups after four weeks. The only difference was in the first 24 hours after birth when lambs on ewe colostrum scored higher for crucial proteins. 3

Is the lamb feeding? It’s important to check that a lamb is actually feeding from its mother. It might look like it’s suckling, but sometimes it may not have a strong enough sucking reflex to extract milk from the udder.

Other issues can include:

■ hoggets (first-time mothers aged 12-18 months) often have very thick colostrum on day 1 of lactation, which can be hard for the lambs to suck out;

■ there may be too much competition for the udders if it’s a twin, triplet, or quad;

■ its mother may not stand still long enough or have bonded with it properly, or she may have an issue with her udder, such as mastitis.

Common signs of a hungry lamb: bleating a lot, looking to feed a lot more than others, hunched with a hollow stomach and prominent hip bones; when pinched, skin is slow to relax back to normal (a sign of dehydration).

4 Store & thaw carefully

If you’re saving colostrum for an emergency, you’ll need enough for at least five feeds per lamb per day at 15% of the lamb’s bodyweight. Store it in 150ml or so (one feed) lots in a sterile, resealable plastic bag. Put it straight into the freezer. To thaw, sit the bag in warm (not hot) water – don’t microwave it. Mix it well before feeding.

FEATURE

en-nz

2021-08-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-08-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thisnzlife.pressreader.com/article/281711207632069

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