ZoeytheLamb
Chillin' with the herd
Hello,
I am such a novice in the care and raising of a lamb- I am almost embarrassed to join the forum... until a few weeks ago I never even had held a lamb. Today, I am the foster mother of a 3 week old Gulf Coast Native lamb, and I have had her since she was less than 12 hours old.
It has been a journey, and in this journey I have met many wonderful people who have been such a help to me. When she first came in my care- she was born on Good Friday, she was one of a twin born to an older ewe that was unable to provide enough milk for both lambs. The living history museum where I work, said they were going to let the little thing die- let nature take its course. I asked if I could give it a try to save her- and they gave her to me. After much trial and error I found the correct formula for her (Dumor Lamb Milk Replacer) and then she became really lethargic - long story short, she developed navel ill and joint ill (she has recovered from the joint ill). In these few weeks of her life she has been on many rounds of antibiotics- and as of today, she is still running a fever (103.5) this morning. So the vet is going to put her on another round this afternoon. She is also on a daily probiotic to help keep the right balance in her GI tract.
All in all, she is happy, gaining weight (she weighs 12 pds.), active and oh, my goodness, the sweetest little thing to walk this side of Heaven (in my opinion . She has stolen my heart completely! Her name is Zoey. Zoe means "life" in the Greek. I want her to live so badly!
So my reason for joining this forum is multiple- I have been reading a lot of the posts and everyone seems so nice and helpful- and I hope will be understanding of my ignorance!
I have so many questions I really don't know where to begin. I guess the first one is - has anyone run into a similar health situation with a lamb this age?
Next question: what is a good lamb starter feed?
I live in Hanover County, Virginia and let me say this is not sheep country! I've have to travel quite a distance just to get the milk replacer. I want to get a good quality lamb starter feed, but don't know what is the best type or kind for her. I've looked at a number of them online- but when I call, I find out the closest location is in Kentucky!
Thank you all in advance for any and all advice!
All the best,
Sandy
I am such a novice in the care and raising of a lamb- I am almost embarrassed to join the forum... until a few weeks ago I never even had held a lamb. Today, I am the foster mother of a 3 week old Gulf Coast Native lamb, and I have had her since she was less than 12 hours old.
It has been a journey, and in this journey I have met many wonderful people who have been such a help to me. When she first came in my care- she was born on Good Friday, she was one of a twin born to an older ewe that was unable to provide enough milk for both lambs. The living history museum where I work, said they were going to let the little thing die- let nature take its course. I asked if I could give it a try to save her- and they gave her to me. After much trial and error I found the correct formula for her (Dumor Lamb Milk Replacer) and then she became really lethargic - long story short, she developed navel ill and joint ill (she has recovered from the joint ill). In these few weeks of her life she has been on many rounds of antibiotics- and as of today, she is still running a fever (103.5) this morning. So the vet is going to put her on another round this afternoon. She is also on a daily probiotic to help keep the right balance in her GI tract.
All in all, she is happy, gaining weight (she weighs 12 pds.), active and oh, my goodness, the sweetest little thing to walk this side of Heaven (in my opinion . She has stolen my heart completely! Her name is Zoey. Zoe means "life" in the Greek. I want her to live so badly!
So my reason for joining this forum is multiple- I have been reading a lot of the posts and everyone seems so nice and helpful- and I hope will be understanding of my ignorance!
I have so many questions I really don't know where to begin. I guess the first one is - has anyone run into a similar health situation with a lamb this age?
Next question: what is a good lamb starter feed?
I live in Hanover County, Virginia and let me say this is not sheep country! I've have to travel quite a distance just to get the milk replacer. I want to get a good quality lamb starter feed, but don't know what is the best type or kind for her. I've looked at a number of them online- but when I call, I find out the closest location is in Kentucky!
Thank you all in advance for any and all advice!
All the best,
Sandy