Newborn lambs not getting enough milk?

I have a couple of years lambing experience under my belt but this is a first for me. I'm going to put it under emergency as I know the first 24 hours of life are the most critical for a lamb to survive and thrive.

Two baby ewe lambs born just before midday today. Mum Southdown X Black Welsh Mountain. Dad Icelandic. First time birthing for this mum. She's about 2.5 to 3 years old. Hay and pasture, standard free access minerals and kelp, as well as additional Se. Small amount of grain each morning.

Had to assist with the first birth as little lamb had a HUGE head. Like a bobble head sheep when standing. Second lamb slid out just fine.

Lambs are strong and interested in life. Got all the right number of limbs and other things. This makes me happy. Mum is up and eating, but very tired and often laying down. Bonded quickly with her lambs, but needed a bit of help counting to two at the start.

Problem: There doesn't seem to be enough milk.

I got the lambs suckling okay and did a few test squeezes of milk. The milk does not come out easily for me, it's like she's got a very small milk hole. The milk comes out as drops when I squeeze not squirts. But the nipple is smaller than I'm use to, so it could be a failure in my technique not her equipment.

The lambs latched on and suckle well enough, but they don't seem satisfied and keep hunting around for more nipples. Bellies are only half full before mum gets tired and needs to lye down again.

I am confident they are getting SOME milk. Just don't know if it's enough.


Questions: If they continue to be hungry can I bottle feed them some goats milk? Or even sheep milk if I can wrestle one of the other mums into giving me some of their sacred juice? If they are getting some First Milk (starts with C, big fancy word) from their mum, would it hurt them to also get some every-day milk? Or is this a huge NO-NO?

When should I start to worry that they aren't getting enough milk? What signs should I look for?

Newborn lambs will nurse often, just a little bit at a time. I wouldn't worry about them since the ewe has milk. Just keep an eye on them, if their bellies look too sunken in after a day or two then I would supplement with milk or give the ewe extra feed to encourage extra milk production.

Thank you sheepgirl for the encouragement. I'll take your advice to heart.

Sun just went down and it's dark and rainy. Thankfully not too cold (about 9 degrees C with a forecast low of 9... so probably go down to 6 tonight).

Lambs and mum are in the jug. Mum was great and gave birth in the jugs - everyone's been doing that this year, it's fantastic.

Mum has eaten half her weight in hay this afternoon. Well, perhaps not that much, but it feels like it. Two big flakes of hay gone, and working enthusiastically on her third. Drank her molasses water so I gave her an extra bucket full.

Lambs are still a bit damp, but their mouths are warm. No shivers. Moderate energy levels. Still acting hungery after suckeling. Still not getting full stomach feeling like what I've observed in lambs in the past.

Since I have another ewe close, I'll probably check on these lambs every 4 hours tonight... so very tired, but that's lambing season for you. If I wanted sleep this time of year, I wouldn't raise sheep.

Thanks again for your quick reply.

I'm a little behind on this subject and hopefully things are going well now, just thought I'd drop in and offer my 2 cents.

Like Sheepgirl said, newborn lambs will nurse often and only little bits at a time and non-dairy breed sheep can be really tricky to milk. That being said, if the lambs are trying to nurse constantly and seem really hungry or are crying a lot, it wouldn't be a bad idea to supplement for a few days. Make sure that the lambs mouths are warm. If they are cold, they probably aren't getting enough.

Bit of a slow start with the lambs, but they are improving now. Big head definitely hogs the milk. Every night I check on the lambs, and if they are a bit cold, or thirsty, I either get mummy up for an evening feed, or supplement a bottle for the little lamb.

They are starting to play lamb-games, finally, so I'm feeling much more confident that they will be well.

Thank you again everyone.