Bottle Baby Lamb Eating Dirt (....!)

[Flora Stuart Satterwhite]

Hi,

My little bottle baby lamb (3 weeks old today!) is starting to nibble grass, but is also eating dirt too. Or at least she appears to be eating dirt. She burrowers her nose down under the grass and appears to be munching on the dirt. She doesn't do this all the time, but maybe a couple of times a day she tries it. When she does this, it doesn't look like she gets much in her mouth. Nor does her poo look different, so I don't think she is getting much.

Is this hurtful to her!? Does this mean she is lacking some minerals?

Thanks for advice.

Sandy

 

[SheepGirl]

Yes. I have had lambs eat dirt. Come to find out the mineral feeder was empty and once refilled they stopped.

 

[Flora Stuart Satterwhite]

But she is still on the bottle. How do I give her minerals? In her formula?

I have her on DuMor Lamb starter formula.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Sandy

 

[Ruus]

You could let her have some mineral mix, it won't hurt her. I have a two week old lamb who's already nibbling the salt a bit, imitating her mom.

 

[Eteda]

All baby animals eat dirt and some eat manure. this is normal they are discovering their world. it sets up the bacteria in the gut for digestion. you can give them prebiotics or probiotics if you want. you can also just ignore it. it will not make much of a difference. most do it around day 3-7. in a day or so you will probably see her eating the dirt off the top of the ant beds. hear they are after minerals the ants bring up to the surface in the clay. oh it will be the muddiest blackest filthiest dirt too! sandy just put them in a dish where she can get to them and not tump over the minerals. she should get curious and investigate.

 

[AimeeDx]

I'm guessing that she should be fine, my little one that is with her mum tries to eat everything, sticks, the gate, the fence, the water container... She's probably just deciding whats food and whats not, maybe she might take longer to figure out whats what because she has no one to watch?

 

[ShellyWright67]

Hi everyone great read, I have a 3-week old lamb bottle feeding and she loves crusher dust was wondering if this will bloat her and if it is a mineral deficiency and what to give her.

 

[Baymule]

Mine ate the dirt piles the gophers kicked up. I made sure to keep sheep mineral mix out and they stopped. I also offer the pellets I give the ewes to the lambs in a creep feeder at 2 weeks old. I have a set of twins 1 1/2 months old now and they go in the creep feeder for their pellets when I feed the ewes. LOL

So for your bottle baby, try to make a mineral feeder and a small feeder for some of whatever you feed the ewes. 1 week old lambs will try what they see their moms eating, they don't eat much because they can't digest it yet, but they copy their moms. Monkey see, monkey do. LOL