# Estimating age of lamb?



## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

We brought home a lamb from the animal shelter in OKC Sunday (Easter) and it is eatting some grass and grain, will only take water from a dropper, (still thinks it is nasty) and took ablout 1/2 cup of goat milk by dropper last night. His testicals have not dropped yet and his tail is not docked, he does have a tag in his ear. 

I went and got a lamb nipple for a bottle, the only milk replacer the feed store had is $21.95 for a bag that would last the rest of the year, since he is our only baby, so he will have to drink goat milk, until weaned. 

He made it through the night bunking with our almost 3 month old buckling (goat)
But the older goats want to smoosh him into the ground, 

I haven't seen him poop or pee yet, the vet tech (sisterinlaw) at the shelter said all was well in those depts. 

The only sheep info I have so far is from "Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep" that I bought a few months ago, this little guy is suposted to be a barbados.

Can anyone give me and idea of how old he is? And any other tips?


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Kind of odd description! He's eating grass and grain but his testies haven't dropped?? My lambs testicles drop in the first 2 weeks but may not be eating solid food well! You're sure he's not been castrated? Is he cudding? What would he weigh? Can you post a picture of him?


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

I'll try to get a picture up, I'm glad to hear it seems odd, I couldn't figure out an age by what the book discribed.

When I set him on his rump and check for testicals I find one that is just passed the body cavity, but if he is standing I can't find it.

edited in:

I have some photos in an album, on the photo Island site (link below)
He is 15 lbs, I looked closely at his sack and it looks intact to me, I haven't seen him chew cud yet, other than a burp and chew about an hour after he took about 1/2 a cup of milk from the bottle, he swallowed alot of air, and I was patting/bumping his side because he looked "full" and he hasn't consumed enough to be anywhere near full. I felt better after his burp, if he needed it or not, I don't know. But it was a good one.

I think the shelter holds them for 10 days, then they have a short time to place them before they are put down, so I'm guessing he is more than 13 days but less than ???? maybe 20 days? And this is a wild guess.


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

From reading the book I gather that he can have all the pelleted sheep feed, alfalfa, and grass he wants, and at least 4 oz of milk 2 times a day, is the minimum for the milk, if I get more to spare I could give more, but I only get a pint or two each morning so far. 

If he really needs more milk I can pen up the buckling away from mom and milk twice a day, that would give me 3 or 4 pints to work with.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Knowing his age would certainly help, he may not need any. New born bottle babies would get 250 mls of milk 4 times a day here, and gradually move to 3 feedings a day of up to 340mls (guess how big a Canadian beer bottle is) and perhaps a little more if its really cold out. Our lambs do get access to pelleted feed or rolled grains from an early age though. They'll be off that milk (replacer) as soon as they are eating the creep feed well.


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

How much is "eatting well" with the creep feed? Is there extra vitamins or minerals in creep feed?, all I can get is sheep/goat pellets.

Today he is drinking water from the bottle with zeel. And cry's a little bit less. He is alert and active. Eyes are brite and he is sharp to find me.

It is very warm here, so how can I tell if he needs more milk? And at what age do most lambs start drinking water from a bucket?


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I've got three bottle babies that drank water at thirty or so days, when they were weaned. Eating well would mean around a pound of creep feed, and hay and they chew thier cud. They're ruminating. Creep feed is any feed you feed to lambs but most comercial pellets will likely have mineral and vitamins added.


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

Thank you Ross, it helps to have some signs to watch for as to age/development.


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

I just had to come back to say our little 'Babby' is chewing his 1st cud today, I'm so proud! :dance:


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## CountryFried (Dec 22, 2003)

Just wanted to say I enjoyed seeing your photos. Did you ever figure out what tore up your dog?

Sherry


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

I belive it was some wolf looking dog crosses{?} That I had seen a few days before near our chicken yard, very early on a damp morning.

after the blood was cleaned off we could see a matching tooth mark, like from a lower jaw, near the tear in the corner of his mouth, and the distaince from there to the torn ear, on the other side of his head would fit just right in a large canines mouth, if grabing from under Jacob's jaw.

I don't walk down there without a gun anymore.


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