How to foster lambs?

premier10

As the title, how do you the more experienced lambers foster lambs on to different ewes? Do you use a fostering crate and what tips/ideas do you have to nake it a success.

J.O. Farmer

You will most likely need to at least tie up the ewe with a proper foster crate best. If you can cover the foster lamb in the ewes slimes before she gets near any lamb its a help.
I once got away with fostering a lamb onto a first lamber where I had to pull the lamb by rubbing the 2 together and presenting them together as her own. It has never worked since with a ewe though.
If the ewe can't see the lambs it works better. You can improve a foster crate by knocking boards out of a pallet and replacing to hold the ewe's head. That said you can buy the front gate for a foster crate under a 100 and a proper foster crate under 150. They are well worth the investment as the ewe gives much less bother and takes ewe less time to take to the lamb. About a week maybe less will do. Just keep the ewe and lamb on they're own for a few days until your sure that she's taking to him before mixing with other ewes.
You can tie them up but that normally requires standing at least twice a day with the ewe to get the lamb to suck and requires longer.

Username John

This is what we do, not saying its right, or the best way... I got some of these tips on here previously I think...

If you are planning a foster, have a bucket ready to catch as much fluids from the ewe you want to foster onto. Try to have a good bit in the bucket.
Wet the lamb you want to foster with some luke warm waster, and then dunk it in the bucket. Cover it as much as you can. Get it on the head / neck and tail areas especially.
If the ewe already has a lamb, take her own lamb away for a bit when you put in the foster lamb.

Now, having said all that, it doesn't already work But its works a good bit of the time

I dint have a crate, so have had to do the catching the ewe a few times a day to let the lambs suck. Usually after a week of this, she'll take to them. Altho have had it take a bit longer too... Its a pain...

Cran

premier10 wrote: »

As the title, how do you the more experienced lambers foster lambs on to different ewes? Do you use a fostering crate and what tips/ideas do you have to nake it a success.

Depends on timing really. If a ewe is carrying a single and by some fluke catch her lambing, wet adopt a lamb onto her. Wash lamb in warm water, cover in her fluids and present to her before her own lamb (lambing out I rarely use even though very successful option)
Have also had success with skinning lamb and adopting, same approach really cover in fluids. Some salt on the skin helps ewe lick her too.
Have 6 crates I think, nearly always work just timing really. Think it takes 3/4 days for milk to flow through system so best ewe can't see lambs for that length.

J.O. Farmer

Cran wrote: »

Have also had success with skinning lamb and adopting, same approach really cover in fluids.

We tried this once with a calf and it nearly worked. We had the skin on the calf but it should have been better round the tail because as soon as the cow got the scent there the game was up and cue hardship. She was delighted smelling him till she got to the tail and we could see the moment she realised it wasn't hers. Done right I think it would work well.

rancher

Cran wrote: »

Depends on timing really. If a ewe is carrying a single and by some fluke catch her lambing, wet adopt a lamb onto her. Wash lamb in warm water, cover in her fluids and present to her before her own lamb (lambing out I rarely use even though very successful option)
Have also had success with skinning lamb and adopting, same approach really cover in fluids. Some salt on the skin helps ewe lick her too.
Have 6 crates I think, nearly always work just timing really. Think it takes 3/4 days for milk to flow through system so best ewe can't see lambs for that length.

handful of salt in the warm water that you wash the lamb with is a good way to get the salt in to the skin. must have done nearly 50 adoptions last year and only 5 or 6 needed a crate. I did 4 or 5 adoptions in the early lambers this year and none of them worked, so I've ten pets

Salmonman

premier10 wrote: »

As the title, how do you the more experienced lambers foster lambs on to different ewes? Do you use a fostering crate and what tips/ideas do you have to nake it a success.

What I do is put the ewe and lamb into a small pen with very little room in it and I tie our dog outside the pen,what happens is ewe will protect the lamb.
After a few days let them outside.
Always works for us

Conmaicne Mara

Tried fostering a lamb for the first time this Spring. My best ewe, fox killed both her twins :mad: Dad had a cheviot x ewe lamb so skinned one of the dead lambs but not sure I left the "coat" long enough. Had her tied in a few days as well, would she feck take the lamb.

razor8

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Tried fostering a lamb for the first time this Spring. My best ewe, fox killed both her twins :mad: Dad had a cheviot x ewe lamb so skinned one of the dead lambs but not sure I left the "coat" long enough. Had her tied in a few days as well, would she feck take the lamb.

Have some mountain ewes and they are a nightmare to foster. Thinks it's down to there natural instinct been so strong

AnFeirmeoir

Wet foster lambs onto ewes as they are lambing always works for me.
Have my pet lambs close by. If a ewe lambing with a single, I assist the lambing. Tie the pet lambs legs together, catch some of the lambing fluid in a bucket of luke warm water. Dunk the pet into it and present both lambs to the ewe
I can usually untie the lambs legs after 15 mins.

I've forstered them after as well by tying ewe and letting lamb suck then putting lamb in penned of section of the pen for fear she'd kill it, Works most times but takes 4 or 5 days before they bond.

solerina

We fostered about 25 lambs last year, a lot were mountain mothers (crazy year due to the bad weather, we don't usually have to do so many)...one ewe even took to 2 different fosters (her own lamb died, then the first foster did too !!)
Skin the lamb -cut off the legs, cut around the neck and peel off like a little jumper- place onto the foster lamb like a coat making sure to cover as far down the legs and tail as possible....it rarely fails !! Leave the coat on for a few days (until it gets baggy and stinky)

buffalobilly

What we do here is wash the lamb to be adopted with salt water and get the water out of the water bag and soke it in it now when ewe lambs give her the orphan lamb take away her own lamb give her a couple of minutes now put hand into her she will start pressing and think she is having another lamb and give her her own lamb works most times Important to make sure orphan lamb Is good and wet even pull out some cleanings and rub it into wool

razor8

buffalobilly wrote: »

What we do here is wash the lamb to be adopted with salt water and get the water out of the water bag and soke it in it now when ewe lambs give her the orphan lamb take away her own lamb give her a couple of minutes now put hand into her she will start pressing and think she is having another lamb and give her her own lamb works most times Important to make sure orphan lamb Is good and wet even pull out some cleanings and rub it into wool

Same as that and if lamb a few days old I will tie him up with twine so he can't get up

Nothing gives the game away better than a lamb getting straight in under her and dunting as he fills himself to the gills. I have sometimes gave the foster lamb a feed before he goes in