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wayoutwest · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 184 Location: west clare

we're looking at renting some land from next january, 08, close to us. At the moment, the plan is to get some orphan lambs, to fatten for the freezer, just to try it. Himself thinks 6 would be a good number, but I'll be doing the night feeding... Shocked

... so two seems an easier number.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's orphan lamb experiences over here, if there are any, please.

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gai · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 83 Location: Co Donegal

I got 5 orphan lambs last year. The number won't really matter - it's as easy to feed 6 as 2 provided you've got an automatic drinker set up. You can buy these but I made mine from a rectangular shaped bucket (bought in homebase) with a couple of teats (bought at the agricultural store) attached. This gets tied (had to be very tightly as the lambs are quite strong, I'd make up a wire attachment if I was doing it again) to the side of their enclosure. I took a kettle of boiling water with me for the first dawn feed every day and sterilised the feeder and teats with this. For the rest of the day I just made up the feed in a bucket, carried it down to the shed and poured it into the feeder - easy.
Feeding took place every couple of hours at the start but I left longer periods between feeds as the weeks went by. They're ready to go outside after about four weeks if the weather is good but still bring them in at night. The only major problem we had all year was fly strike in the summer.
It's not that cheap to raise orphans. The milk replacer is expensive and they get through a lot of it. I'm also now feeding mine on hay and lamb nuts with the colder weather. I lost 2 of them over the year (1 in the first week) so I'm glad that I got 5 rather than 2. I have to say that they didn't thrive as well as the one lamb which was born to my own ewe at the same time. I would have hoped to have a couple in the freezer by now but they're just not big enough, maybe next month. I don't think I would do it again, hopefully I won't need to as I now have 3 breeding ewes which should keep us in lamb for the freezer.
Hope this helps.

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

I shall be doing the same this year. I say with some trepidation. Sad

Kade lambs soon become impressed on you and they will think of you as Mum. This may sound a nice thing but, they will give you not a moments piece. Even if you get them grazing <which my last lot would not> As soon as they hear you or see you they will be calling you. They will follow you into your house and watch tele if you let them. After showing you all this affection how are you going to handle it when the time comes ??? To be frank, they can be a right pain in the arse.
However!! I have described the down side which forwarned is forarmed.
I shall keep contact with them to the minimum. They will live in a warm shed and perhaps under a lamp. I shall bottle feed them only until they are able to feed themselves from an automatic system. Which may only be as bucket with a number of teats sticking out and suspended from the roof. I weaned my lambs onto lamlac pellets and that was all that they would eat which got expencive. I think it might be a good idea to get in an old matriarch and keep her in a seperate part of the shed, but making sure that they can see each other. Hopefully they will copy her feeding herself and so when they are turned out they will form a flock. Hopefully . Job done Very Happy

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phil · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:41 pm Post subject:

Personally, and from past experience i find taking the time to bottle-feed each lamb far better. this way you know how much each lamb is drinking and not one lamb getting all the milk. Once you get into a routine feeding 6 lambs would only take ten minutes. The alternative is to buy some late born mountain lambs in Autumn and fatten them up.

wayoutwest · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 184 Location: west clare

fantastic advice, thank you. I'm almost considering not to now! (But not quite.)
We can't get a ewe, becasue we really only want to dip our toes into that side of things, see what it's like, and after the lambs have gone to the great big freezer in the sky we want to be able to review, take stock, think it all out and have the option to not keep renting the land if we don't want to repeat it. (We might well do pigs the following year, maybe.)

how much land do you think we should be looking at for 6 lambs then? (allowing obviously for the fact that I don't know if we can get six lambs in the first place.) Also, if there is anyone doing it this year who wouldn't mind a visit from a couple wanting to do it next year, I'd very much appreciate seeing it at first hand for an hour, one day. Can bring own peach wine!! Laughing

last question, as you all seem very knowledgable, what breed do I go for, or is it just pot luck?
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manure happens

Camile · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 am Post subject:

We intended to breed from our ewe this year (the one and only) ..

But she's on the fat side .. I've put her on a diet for a couple of months .. she lost a bit of weight but she's still on the fat side ..

We were supposed to have the ram paying us a visit in the last weeks .... but because the goats headbutts her when in the shed .. I'm now thinking of getting orphan lambs ..

where did you get yours ? Buy and sell ? local farmers ?

Thanks,
Camile