Newborn lamb: appearance and weight, what care procedures are needed

Sheep are considered one of the most prolific domestic animals, as they go out in search of their soulmate almost all year round, regardless of the season. True, most often lambing occurs in winter and spring. At the same time, newborn lambs need close attention and constant care. In the first hours after birth, they need care. Therefore, the further existence of the animal depends not only on the behavior of its parents, but also on the farmer.

Appearance

Depending on the breed and genetic characteristics, there are external differences in newborn lambs.A child of a sheep and a ram will necessarily have less wool than adults. In addition, these babies do not have horns. The lamb's body parts are smaller than its mature parents.

At birth, the farmer must watch that all the babies are dry, and the mother sheep licks each of her babies. In the future, this will allow her to distinguish her lambs from other newborns in the herd.

Average weight of newborn lambs

The average weight of one newborn is about 4-6 kilograms, if there is only one baby in lambing. At the birth of two lambs, each of them will be 3-5 kilograms. Soon they begin to suck mother's milk. Sheep and ram children quickly gain weight. Although the first couple of days they mostly spend time passively, sleeping.

Baby lambs fed on dairy sheep's milk consume a lot of nutrients that will help them develop later.

Babies during the first 2 months recover by 350-500 grams daily. Such conditions for a growing organism can only be provided by caring mothers and attentive farmers who monitor not only the growth of a small female or male, but also their he alth.

Rules for caring for them

A newborn lamb may be born weak. Some individuals may not even show signs of life. Therefore, the farmer should carry out several procedures so that the pet comes to life:

1. The muzzle is being cleaned.
2. Artificial respiration is done (paws are pressed against the chest of the newborn, air is blown into the mouth).
3. The head of the lamb is supported and needs help in taking its first sips.

The umbilical cord usually breaks on its own. But in rare cases, the farmer still has to cut it himself.After the manipulation, treatment with iodine should follow. In order for the baby to be strong, in the first days of life, artificial heating with ultraviolet lamps should be created for him. This will increase the hemoglobin index and the number of deposits of phosphorus-calcium s alts.

What to feed the lambs

The first feeding in the life of a lamb occurs 40 minutes after birth. Before this, a mandatory processing of the female must be carried out. The sheep's wool is sheared in the place where the nipples and udders are located. The nursing mother is washed under warm water and colostrum is expressed. Only after these procedures are small lambs allowed to approach her. They need to be shown where the udder is. Therefore, the farmer must complete this mission for the first time. He should direct the lamb to the feeding area.This is done simply by hand.

Sheep after giving birth are very thirsty. Therefore, farmers should water their pets. A nursing mother can drink one and a half liters of water at a time. Approximately how much she will need after the lambs are fed for their first time. The nurse will also need hay to eat.

It is not recommended to feed a sheep with juicy feed after lambing. Only small quantities are allowed.

Goat's or cow's milk can be used instead of sheep's milk. A week-old baby will need 145 grams for one of 6-7 meals. You can reduce portions with such a diet only from a 2-month period.

Regardless of what and according to what scheme the baby eats, a complete rejection of sheep's milk is not acceptable. It starts the immune system according to the rules and allows the growing body to develop according to age. Colostrum can be given instead of sheep's milk.If there is no other lambing sheep on the farm, then you should seek help from other farmers. This is important for a pet, a possible future leader of the pack.

Artificial feeding

Feeding lambs by artificial means is a very difficult task for every farmer. But it can be de alt with if you give it enough time and do not forget about your obligations. You just need to remember:

• lamb care does not allow relief, a strict feeding regime must be followed;
• a young organism that is brought up separately from a nursing sheep should be in a clean, warm and dry place;
• you can not independently and at will violate the diet of the lamb, increasing its portion of milk;
• you can teach a newborn to drink from a bowl, but only when he is 12 days old;
• feeding equipment must be clean, sterilized.

If there is another lactating female in the herd, then you can try to give her a hungry baby of another lambing sheep.

How to tag correctly

For breeding, it is customary for farmers to mark animals. It can be applied to the baby as early as 3 days of age. The tag allows you to identify the animal. You can also use it to find out the name of the owner. The clip is put on the ears of the lambs. It is made from plastic. Although metal tags were popular earlier. It is installed using a clipper, which makes this procedure painless.

There are other options for tagging lambs, but they are more painful:

• tattoo;
• burning information;
• punch on the ears.

Now more and more farmers tend not to injure their animal. One of the newfangled methods is chipping. It is likely that this option will soon replace even the wearing of ear clips. It is important that the information from the chip cannot be changed, but you can read it.

Selection

If there are expensive breeds of animals in the farm, then for breeding it is necessary to select the best specimens. Of course, they choose among the young.

On the tribe

The first inspection of young individuals is 10-15 days after birth. For breeding, those lambs are taken that have good he alth, a strong physique and a lot of weight. After the last feeding with mother's milk, another selection is carried out. Then at the age of 1 and 2 years they are examined again.

Meat

Culverted lambs are selected for meat. As a rule, rams are slaughtered upon reaching 8-9 months. Lamb is considered to be the juiciest at this age.

Vaccinations and disease prevention

The need to control the he alth of an animal is always present. To do this, the farmer must know what procedures should be carried out with a newborn lamb in the first and subsequent days of his life. Disease prevention is at the heart of this issue. Therefore, vaccination is indispensable. The first is carried out already 3-4 days after lambing. At the request of the pet owner, a rabies vaccination can be performed. Extra security has never hurt anyone.

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