How to care for your lamb in the crucial first 24 hours of life.

THE GOLDEN FIRST 24HRS

I’ll open with a bold but very true statement …The Lamb’s first 24 hours will determine its health for the rest of its life.  It’s a myth that the actual lambing is the challenge, and then you can relax. I don’t go to bed the first 24 hours of a lamb’s life. You can’t be complacent; if at any point the lamb stops feeding, they will decline very quickly. I’d argue the actual lambing is the easy bit, and the next 24 hours of focus and continued monitoring are the real challenge. I’m sharing my go-to routine of lambing in a barn that provides the care and cleanliness that enables you to spot any problems for the lamb as they arise, which, if unresolved, can lead to a very quick decline.

Head to the Lambing Kit Blog for my tips and tricks

1.) Time: Days before.

Get all your kit ready in advance in a tray to carry into the pen. I have one for the lambing pen and one for lamb trouble shooting afterwards *Take a look at the lambing kit blog.

Star in the first stages of labour, stretching her neck to star gaze, circling and pawing the floor and not wanting food.

2.) Time: The start

At first signs of labour, I prepare the colostrum at body temperature in a flask. It lasts 24 hours (yes, I have a kettle that goes to 38 degrees - it saves so much time, and when you are exhausted, this matters).

3.) Time: ASAP after birth

Dip navel with Iodine (first of 2 iodines)

I dip the navel (not spray). So in a little sterile pop bottle, i fill with iodine - the kind you buy a juice shot in as they are pocket-sized and so easy to keep handy and to manage with lambs but any small bottle will do. To drench the navel completely, I place the lamb on my knee belly upwards, with the open top of the pop bottle over the umbilical cord and navel and rolling the lamb gently backwards so the iodine goes up, around and into the open site in the most effective way.

4.) Time: First 10 minutes

Colostrum for the lamb

This is one of the most crucial elements to successfully rearing your lamb. Ensuring that the lamb gets approx 100ml of Colostrum ASAP (it needs 40ml per kg and most of my babydolls are around 3kg)- as in within the first half an hour! The longer it waits, the energy levels quickly decrease, and the colder it becomes, and it lacks the strength to suckle.

So, firstly, nothing beats mum’s colostrum and most of my lambs are born really strong, with lots of vigour (thanks to good genetics and mum’s nutrition) and literally within minutes after birth, can be up and trying to feed. BUT others are born that struggle, a bit clueless or exhausted and after years of stress of trying to help stubborn lambs to find the teats whilst they are coping with just being born, working out how to use their legs … I now personally step in and give mum’s colostrum freshly milked OR 100-120ml of pure powder colostrum (OVICOL which is expensive but pure natural colostrum; beware of brands with fillers of other ingredients) in an Ezyudder mini bottle as they have soft natural teets (before finding these the bottle could be rejected, and after after this oone feed the lambs have no issue going straight onto mum teats). I do this because I find it gives the lamb the energy and immunity boost immediately after being born and can then find its feet and the strength to independently find the teat. So after the first colostrum feed, I put alarms on my phone to check hourly so that I know the lamb is successfully feeding as it needs 200ml of colostrum per kg of body weight in the following 24 hours - after that, the lamb can’t absorb the colostrum as it turns into milk. The amount of colostrum will literally effect it’s quality of health for the rest of it’s life. I can’t stress enough how important it is! *Feeding is covered in my Colostrum blog in more detail.

Check the ewes bag and teats for milk

Whilst mum is a bit busy licking the lamb, I quickly clean the bag and teats with the udder wipe and make sure she has milk - to gently test her teats (head to YouTube if you haven’t mastered this skill). If there isn’t milk coming out - make sure the waxy black colour plug has been dislodged - the lamb will suck it off or you can very gently pull it out and then if still no milk - I have a top tip - fill a little plastic jug - i’m talking an expresso cup size of warm water and dip the whole teet into the water. This simulates the lamb’s mouth, and I’ve found ALWAYS brings the milk down if it there - but it takes patience; it can take half an hour - bribe the mum if you have to with a bucket of nuts - so she stays calm, and you can help her. Failing that, turn her onto her bottom and milk her teats or place the lamb into the teats so it sucks to bring the milk down. If she still has nothing from milking her - you are sure  - then you can If there’s no milk you can feed the colostrum in small quantities - I do as little as 20ml or 60ml - 80ml depending on size and the health of the lamb every 2 hours so that it’s as natural as possible. You don’t want to overfeed in one feeding, as will cause bloat, so little and often. Don’t take the lamb away!

If she has milk … and the lamb can feed I go make a cup of tea so I don’t fuss!

So the ewe will still be licking the lamb dry and the lamb will be practising how to stand and then following the smell of mum’s milk to find her teat, and then it needs to actually latch on to the (clean and unblocked trimmed) teat! I’ll observe how strong the lamb is, and how mum is and if they’ve found the teet and give mum pain relief if she needs it, some nuts because she needs a boost for her milk production and whilst she eats nuts from a bucket I’ll help lamb whos now on their feet and should be able to drink - or if the lamb is sleeping i’ll watch on cameras and the minute they wake i’ll get them on the teat. I don’t give more than one powder colostrum - mum’s colostrum is essential, it’s thick, yellow cream.

5.) Time: 1 hour has now passed …

Iodine again - this time, I spray the navel area with iodine. I check lamb feeding, or if asleep put a timer on to check again in 1/2 hour.

6.) Time: As you go along

Clean up! I make sure the pen is absolutely clean - take out the afterbirth, add dry bedding and remove any wet from the water bag and ensure it’s draught-free at the bottom but ventilated above - which I sort by zip tying wood floor boards at the base of the pen hurdles and bank up straw if it’s breezy in the barn so they have shelter.

It’s really important to say lambs do not need heat; they need food and shelter, which both mum provides. Heat brings bacteria and very uncomfortable ewes. If you watch the ewe will use her body as a draught excluder, she will curl around, or even put her chin over the lamb. You need to trust her instincts to look after the lamb.

I don’t use heat lamps unless lambs really need it, as it can put a barrier between the bond between mum and lamb, the lamb chooses the heat rather than mum, and can make the lamb drowsy and lethargic, so it doesn’t get up to feed, missing the critical measures of colostrum which needs little and often due to their tiny stomachs. One missed feed is a setback. As long as they are drinking good-quality colostrum and they are dry, they do not need extra heat lamp warmth.

7.) Time: 1-6 hours

At this point, the lamb should be relaxed and not hunched, e.g., not hungry, and feeding is established; they know where the teats are and can get up and feed. They should be with mum, dry, not wheezing, no drooling, and contentedly sleeping a lot!

Things to look out for now is the meconium. This is the first black poo in the first 24 hours If they are eating well, you should see the meconium in the first 6 hours. What no one ever told me is that from this point on, you are poop watch… I’ll explain why!

The next poop to arrive will be thick, glossy, yellow custard-like poop.

Now, if you don’t see ANY poop, which is quite possible, you can’t watch for poop all the time 😂 but if there is no evidence from the bottom AND they have symptoms of being lethargic, losing energy or hunched even though the tummy is full (lift front legs upward and gently feel the either side of belly which should feel full, then this could be due to a meconium blockage. Likewise, with the next yellow transitional poop, it can easily get stuck on the route out, if moving slowly, or in a warm environment. It dries and forms an impenetrable plug, preventing any waste from exiting. Sounds like a simple issue, and it is - unless undetected, and then the lamb can decline quickly, and if left untreated, toxins build up, and it can quickly become fatal. The remedy is quick, cheap 100% effective, but you may need to repeat until you see the lamb passing stools independently without issue. What you need to do is; a washing up liquid enema (yep, you maybe werent expecting that!) For more info go to the blog How to fix a blockage of poop and why it’s urgent.

Extra boosts - I give all newborns an oral dose of probiotics, especially if they’ve had any blockage and a dose of jump-start for energy.

8.) Time 6-12 hours

We are still in the peak of the colostrum requirement time. I’m looking every hour to check the lamb is feeding and tummy full and happy. Lambs do sleep a lot. The mum should wake them to feed, they eat and then collapse and sleep again.

9.) 12- 24 hours

If everything has gone smoothly, the lamb is feeding, sleeping, and mum is standing and waking up the lamb, and they have formed a bond. At the 24hr point, the ewe’s colostrum will start to become milk as the lamb won’t absorb the colostrum. If your lamb is vulnerable and has difficulties, then the 24-hour point is a good landmark of success, if you are tubing or bottle feeding, you must change to milk.

10.) Clean, clean, clean.

The clean pen is going to be the reason your lamb is healthy. I poop scoop each time i go past and remove any wet bedding and keep topping up with fresh straw - but not too deep to hinder the lamb or feeding from mum.