Daydreaming while waiting impatiently!

[NH Homesteader]

Wow, I wonder why they do so poorly compared to goats, who generally do fine as long as they don't bloat from overzealous owners! Remind me to never be swayed by a cute bottle lamb lol

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Dumb question of the week. Has goat kid ever been successfully grafted onto ewe (for nursing), or vice versa?

 

[tortoise]

Dumb question of the week. Has goat kid ever been successfully grafted onto ewe (for nursing), or vice versa?

I think you'd have better luck grafting a lamb onto a goat! Ewes are stupid and stubborn! I really should get a milking stand and train a couple ewes to it for feeding bum lambs. But not sure that would go over well. Milk replacer is so dang expensive!

 

[tortoise]

Wow, I wonder why they do so poorly compared to goats, who generally do fine as long as they don't bloat from overzealous owners! Remind me to never be swayed by a cute bottle lamb lol

They're more prone to enterotoxemia "overeating disease". I thought feeding too-large amounts too-infrequently was the problem, but I had one get it with milk divided over 10 feedings per day. :/ 2 others fed the same amount and schedule did not get it. So IDK.

 

[tortoise]

"Type C enterotoxemia affects most often nursing single lambs that have a mother that is a heavy milk producer. While Type D enterotoxemia mostly will affect weaned and feedlot lambs that are placed on a high energy roughage and grain diet. It is also common in vigorous, healthy, and rapidly growing lambs."


"Death is usually the first sign of the disease."

We did catch it fast enough to give it anti-toxin, but he still only lasted 2 - 3 days.

 

[tortoise]

The most common way to manage it is underfeeding. :/ We were told by long-time shepherd that if bottle lambs always act like they're starving, you're doing it right.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Oh interesting. Do you give CDT shots? Lambs sound like a pain, lol.

I don't see my goats allowing a grafting of a lamb. Maybe, but they really don't care for sheep. And my sheep, no way they'd allow a goat kid near them!

 

[sumi]

They're all first-timers. And the one is young and small and first-timer.

Obligatory cute baby animal photo
View attachment 10437

Omg, it's all legs!!

 

[wyoDreamer]

And that face!
I know how my sister ended up with 6 naughty goats at her place. She bought 2 to clear the brush and weeds out of the back half of her lot. They multiplied - both had been bred and produced twins. She was supposed to sell them when they got old enough, but she is such a softy.
Luckily, when she had a chance to sell that property she managed to find buyers for all her goats. She had just discovered that the little buck figured out how to climb up the tree trunk and get over the fence.

The neighbors were unhappy about the sale because they loved those goats and fed them treats all the time. The neighbor on one side fed them leftover homemade tortillas and on the other side the old man fed them the crusts off his sandwiches.

 

[tortoise]

Oh interesting. Do you give CDT shots? Lambs sound like a pain, lol.

yes we do CDT vaccines. Whole flock annually, plus lambs get it too.