The Poultry Keeper

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1022 Location: Carmarthenshire

Here they are, Kaydin - white boy, and Kynan - dark brown girl. Having to feed Kynan as she doesn't seem to know how to latch onto mum - Mind you she is tiny and mum's teats are huge!!!!!

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6805 Location: isle of lewis

they are really cute ,you get that problem with goats sometimes

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1022 Location: Carmarthenshire

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6805 Location: isle of lewis

with some of the big yeilding milking goats ,the teat is huge the bigger the teat the faster and easier they are to milk ,which has a draw back that sometimes they are to big for the mouth of young kids ,we tend to draw milk off to make it more suple ,personally i'd feed from the bottle and try and latch her on ,has she tried at all ,we tend with some goats to leave with mum supliment with bottle and try and get them on ,but this is goats not sheep Wink

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1022 Location: Carmarthenshire

We have tried latching her on but little one pulls away, we even turned mum up (on the advice of a local sheep keeper) and latched little one on which worked, she took a little, but stressed mum out too much. I managed to get some colostrum off mum and fed this to little one. I am now feeding a ewe milk replacer as mum Flora is getting fed up with being messed about with. I think one of the problems is that mum has 4 teats - 2 huge ones and 2 that are about 3rd of a ladies "little finger" sized and I think little one keeps trying those - I can't get anything out of the small teats but, who knows, there may be just some coming out as on a few occasions Kynan's tummy seems to have a bit in. The directions on the milk replacer says to feed 250 mls every 6 hours but she is taking nowhere near that. Still, she is alive which our farmer friend didn't think she would be this morning (I did get up and feed her at 2am) and, hopefully, as she gets stronger she just may cotton on whats what. Last year they all just got on with it themselves and everything was easy - they were lulling me me thinks Laughing

. This year we have this one not feeding and the other ewe has mastitis in one side, just hoping the third one goes smoothly!!!!!

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1316 Location: Leicestershire

You will never override the urge to suckle from mum, so bottle feed her little and often to help build her up. Milk mum if you can and give her that. I know you said mum was fed up but she will get used to it, don't bother trying to latch on any more, little one will do it herself when she's stronger.

Itsybitsy

debcat · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:07 pm Post subject:

what itsy said Very Happy

little and often is better at the moment she'll take more as she needs it

CP · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:07 pm Post subject:

They're both gorgeous Chris. Very Happy

I hope Kynan gets the hang of proper feeding soon though.

debcat · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:27 pm Post subject:

I now have twins being topped up Confused

mum has really short stocky legs, a really thick fleece and only a small udder
the twins have really long legs and are hopeless at finding the milk supply Rolling Eyes

the girl gets there eventually but the boy is absolutley hopeless,
I think he might end up just on a bottle eventually but they will both stay with mum for now

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1022 Location: Carmarthenshire

Thanks for your replies, been topping her up every 4 hours - do I need to during the night? - she is only taking about 25 mls and is still trying to suckle mum - she almost got there tonight!!!!!! She is latching on to one of the small teats jusy above the main teat and, as her tummy seems to have some in, i assume it's a viable teat and not blind. I have found them both on the same side every time so fingers crossed that the other side doesn't get mastitis - I keep trying to express it just in case. I have only been topping her up if her tummy has been empty as I want her to be "hungry" enough to try but not starving. Got a sheep farmer friend coming over later so hopefully he will tell/show me more.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6805 Location: isle of lewis

sounds good ,

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1022 Location: Carmarthenshire

Farmer friend agrees that she is getting something from mum but, as she is so tiny, thinks i should carry on topping her up through the day. Took a 100ml bottle out this morning and she scoffed the lot!!!! Feeling better now i know what I am supposed to be doing.

Farmer friend also looked at the one with mastits and says it's bad Crying or Very sad

but to keep massaging. He also thinks the last one to lamb will be twins too - oh joy Rolling Eyes

.

We have been out there trying to put up tarpaulins over the doorway to the lambing shelter as the SNOW is blowing in - how dare it snow Shocked

.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6805 Location: isle of lewis

with our goats we do hot flannels ,but here we have quite a few come off the moor with wooden udder ,and udders can shear off ,leaving just one udder hanging in the middle Shocked

it's got to be fairly bad for that ,we also use an tube of antibotic that goes up the milking duct with cows and goats there isn't one for sheep is there

debcat · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:38 am Post subject:

hot flannels is good,
milking her will help take the bad bacteria out as well

CP · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:00 am Post subject:

No idea about goats or sheep, but for humans they recommend cabbage leaves! Surprised

They'd probably just eat them anyway! Rolling Eyes