Wednesday, February 25, 2009
What Do I Do With a Chilled Lamb?
With winter lambing it is almost inevitable that you will have a chilled lamb. These are lambs who are born during very cold weather and whose body temperature drops below normal. They will be lethargic and if you insert your finger into its mouth it may feel cold. A chilled lamb should be warmed up slowly. Some of the methods used are to take them into a warm room, blow hair air across them with a hair dryer or dip them in a bucket of warm water. I like to move them to a warm room where they can warm up over a period of an hour or so. Once the lamb has warmed and is trying to stand, you can then let them nurse, drink from a bottle or tube them.
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2 comments:
What temperature is typically too cold for a lamb, in general? I see a lot of people bring lambs that are not nursing from their mothers inside their home. Is that more for convenience or for keeping the lamb warm between feedings? Is this the best thing to do for the lamb? Could you get another ewe to "adopt" the lamb?
The outside temperature may not be the problem so much as the internal temperature of the lamb. I've had lambs born in temperatures as cold at 12 below zero that didn't need any assistance, so there are other factors besides the outside temperature that come into play. The ewe needs to be aggressive at licking the lambs off, which will stimulate the lambs to some degree. The nutrition of the ewe as well as the genetics will play a part in how vigorous the lambs are at birth. The more vigorous they are, the more quickly a lamb will get up to nurse. A large factor in maintaining the internal temperature of a lamb is getting milk into them quickly (within an hour or so)after birth. Once the lamb has four to five ounces in his belly, he is typically able to handle the cold temperatures. I might also point out that the lamb should be protected from wind and be born in a dry area. I try to avoid bringing lambs inside the house. I use a barrel with a heat lamb mounted inside to provide extra heat if needed. Lambs should be able to maintain their own temperature in between feedings and are best kept with their mother. Getting another ewe to adopt the lamb is possible, but can be challenging.
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