# lambs-no milk-what do I do?



## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

This morning, Dip, our free sheep, lambed with twin ewe lambs. If you recall from another thread, she was given to us because she'd lost her last two years lambs when she'd lambed in adverse weather conditions/friends out of town/possibly bad mothering, etc.. However, today her udder is tight but I cannot express even one drop of milk. I got the plug out of one of them by stripping, but not even any fluid with it. Her udder is tight and warm, almost like a cow or goat when they get a congested udder when they freshen. However, in goat/cattle cases, I've always been able to get a little milk out. NONE from this sheep. I ran over to the neighbors and got some frozen sheep colostrum from them (although the date is really old) and another friend gave me some frozen goat colostrum. Each lamb SUCKED down 4 oz. easily. I'm going back out in an hour to give them more. Mom seems very attentive to them...just no milk. Anyone with experience in this kind of problem? If I keep massaging her udder, hot towels, etc. should her milk come in?


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> If I keep massaging her udder, hot towels, etc. should her milk come in?


It might, unless the udder is hard, which could indicate scarring from mastitis

Do your neighbors with the goats have milk you could get to bottle feed them?

If not maybe you could try this recipe:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=342992


----------



## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

I've not had this problem before. I've read that a shot of oxtocin can sometimes help let down milk. But as she has lost her last set of lambs, I wonder if she has bad scaring from mastitis. The other thing that comes to mind is OPP, it can cause a hard bag with no milk.


----------



## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

Thanks. I've got my own meat goats, its just that no one is ready to loan me any milk right now...they've either got young kids or have weaned long enough ago that they're basically dried up. I am going to work on mom sheep and hope her milk comes in. Until then, I've got about a quart of colostrum and I already have a bummer goat who's getting the cow milk recipe. I am just PRAYING that Dip's milk will come in. I DON'T want more bummer babies!!!!!!!


----------



## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Has she passed her afterbirth? Even so you could try a let down dose of oxytocin. Say 2 cc's


----------



## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

I did find after-birth on the grass; however, I'm HOPING she passed it all because the ravens had already been at it, so I couldn't really tell how complete it was. One of the lambs was suckling when I got out there (although I really don't think it was getting anything-lots of baaaing), the other one had the "oh-crap-its-hunched-over" look. I dipped both of their cords, gave them each a big fat dose of bo-se as per the 4-H sheep leader's instructions, and then did the colostrum borrow from the neighbors. Should I still try the oxytocin? I've got plenty.


----------



## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

If she were mine, I'd give her the Oxytocin.
The initial dose for letdown (my bottle says 1ml) and then a couple other doses of 1 ml. a couple hours apart, intramuscular would be the best.
Don't give her too high a dose all at once or you can have other problems.
If there's scar tissue, you probably won't have much luck.
Maybe her colostrum is just real thick, as well as the plug. 
If her bag is hard or she has no milk, this may be symptoms of OPP.

Sometimes one lamb can work enough on her where they can get the milk flowing, but don't wait on the mama, feed the lambs.

Hopefully, tomorrow there will be good news.

Deb


----------



## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Won't hurt. No more than 2cc's and I'm assuming she's over 110 pounds


----------



## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

You're saying her udder is 'hard'. Did her udder get bigger than it was a couple days before lambing, i.e., bagged up? If she didn't bag up, then she just doesn't have any milk. Otherwise, it sounds like you've got a cull ewe. That the people you got her from culled, too.


----------



## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

Her udder IS hard; what is OPP? The lambs have SUCKED down two bottles so far. The first I gave each about 3 oz...then this hour I gave about 4 oz each. They'll take more, but I want them to keep trying on mom. They are definitely vigorous now.


----------



## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

OPP is ovine progressive pneumonia. Here is a link to information about it....

http://www.oppsociety.org/About_OPP.html


----------



## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

OPP sounds like CAE in goats. I am NOT going to test her, but if I don't get milk production in the next day or so...and its not looking good... then I'm going to cull her for dog meat and we'll bottle raise the lambs for meat. I am a huge supporter of testing for CAE and CL in goats and culling those who test positive so I think we may just cull her to be safe, and since she's lost two previous sets of lambs, I'm guessing the problem is the udder.


----------



## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

I feed bottle lambs 15% of their body weight daily. Small feedings every 4-5 hours for the first few days. The daily amount they get increases as they gain weight but the length of time between feedings increases to where I'm feeding them by bottle only 4 times a day. When they are about 10 days to two weeks old I start hanging a jug filled with cold milk. They don't suck it down as fast but drink more often, at will. It prevents them from over eating and bloating. Routines are adjusted per need of the lamb.

I also vaccinate my 100% bottle babies with CD/T within the first few days since they are getting immunities from momma.


----------



## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

I had a ewe with a bag as hard as a rock. I tried oxytocin and also a antinflammatory drug and nothing worked. Mine was a first timer though so I doubt OPP. You can't even test for OPP so young, not effectively anyway. She got sold after the withdrawal time had passed and we lost the lamb too, not being totally on top of everything and I think I should have done an enema as well. I was really bummed out. I didn't believe it was mastitis in a first timer either.


----------

