# Bottle lambs mouth injury or?



## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

I am bottle feeding 2 orphan lambs. I started them out on cow colostrum out of the freezer for 2 days, then switched them to half fresh raw cream half fresh rawmilk from our own cows with an egg yolk and 1 T cod liver oil added per quart until they were a week old. Then I went to 1/2 fresh raw cow's milk, 1/2 fresh raw cream with no additions. That is what I have successfully fed bottle lambs in the past until they are weaned . They had that for a few days.

This time we are short on milk and cream so got a small bag of Sav A Lam replacer. When that ran out, I got some Merricks Super Lamb. 

Since they have been getting the Merricks, they have had bloody foam around their mouths after they have their bottles. I have tried to see if they are chewing on fence wire or doing something that could cause that. Could it be something not dissolved in the replacer? They are growing well and seem active and healthy otherwise. I have not weighed them, but they are about 3 weeks old and probably 20 some pounds.

Thanks in advance for any ideas as to what might be going on.

Jean


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Gosh Jean, you go to a lot more effort than I do - mine get cow colostrum if I'm sure/unsure that they haven't had it from their mother then they go straight on to cow milk.

That aside, I often see that bloody froth at feeding and inspection shows that it's caused by the hard screw top banging on the gums. Most times it's hard to see any obvious lesion. My advice would be not to worry about it. Your lambs are obviously thriving and until they stop doing that, don't go looking for problems.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

Thanks for the reassurance. I just don't want to be doing anything that is hurting them.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

Merrick's is one of the very best lamb milk replacers out there! Get the code off the bag and contact the company to see if there have been any other reports of your type of problem. They may have some feeding suggestions for you. I think Ronnie has the answer though, about the bottle. They're just too enthusiastic in drinking.

I know some people have poor luck with milk replacer and won't use it. We have a local Kent dealer so that is what we feed, but Merrick's is supposed to be even better. We usually use a bucket with three nipples on it so the lambs can eat whenever they want, but do start them out on a bottle.

Good luck with your lambs. Too bad you are short on your own cow's milk for them this time. We usually figure one 25-lb. bag of replacer per lamb, and put any unused in the freezer for next time.

Peg


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Jean,

Are you using the Pritchard teats ?

I agree with Ronnie as every once in a while a bottle lamb will have what looks like some blood from their mouths when sucking so anxiously. 
Actually, I thought it was from the red nipple, but sure makes perfect sense about the hard top hitting their mouths 

Merrick's is an excellent product along with Kent and even more so the Land o' Lakes milk replacer, with slightly more fat content.

~Deb


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

Yes, we are using Pritchard teats. This is the first time that I have noticed bloody foam after feeding in 5 years of raising sheep.

These 2 seem to be doing very well on the replacer, I think better than lambs in the past that we fed cow half & half, BUT they also did not start out with issues of their own (too small, too chilled, etc). They just lost their mama.

Another difference that may make them thrive better is that I have them in a pen with 2 healthy ewes and their lambs, not in a stall with other bottle lambies only--or in my kitchen . They have more company of their own kind and more room to run around. 

I ordered the Merricks because it seemed to have more actual dairy product in it than the other brands and less mysterious ingredients. 

Would love to have a year with no bottle babies, with everybody happy with a sheep mama of their own!


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Sorry you lost your ewe.

Sounds like you are doing a fine job 

~Deb


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