Basic Lamb Care
By: Lyndsey Keller
If you are reading this, you probably want to find more information on how to properly care for your lamb. Maybe you have just acquired your first lamb, are considering getting a lamb, or just want more information on the proper care of a lamb. Whatever your reason may be, hopefully this information can help you out to a degree.
The Basics
There are several basic needs of all lambs, whether you are raising a lamb as an FFA/4-H project, pet, or as a slaughter lamb. Every lamb needs:
Show lambs or FFA/4-H project lambs also need:
In order to properly care for your lamb, you will need some basic supplies to have on hand, preferably before you obtain your lamb.
Basic supplies include:
FeedersWater BucketHalterHealth ProductsWormerPepto BismolIodinePeroxideSyringesGrooming SuppliesHoof TrimmersSheep ClippersShampooNutrition
Every lamb is entitled to proper nutrition. A well-balanced diet for a lamb includes fresh, clean water, high quality feed or grain, hay, and mineral supplements.
Often, new lamb owners have a difficult time deciding which brand of feed to feed. I recommend asking your breeder what feed your lamb was eating before you obtain it. Keep your lamb on this feed at first. Unless you have a good reason for switching feed, I don't recommend that you do so. Abruptly switching feeds can upset a lamb's stomach. If you do wish to switch feeds, do so gradually, over a course of five to seven days. To do this, add a little of the new feed to the old feed. Each day, take out a little of the old feed and add a little more of the new feed until your lamb is completely switched over to the new feed. I also recommend feeding lambs on a limited diet of feed, which will produce an excellent appetite.
Roughage is a very important part of a lamb's diet because a lamb is a ruminant. I recommend having a small-stemmed hay available to your lamb at all times. The importance of roughage is so great that it should NEVER be left out of your lamb's diet.
A lamb's diet should also be supplemented with free choice loose sheep mineral and loose salt. Salt and mineral blocks are undesirable because sheep do not lick these blocks like cattle would. Instead, they chew on the blocks, often breaking off their front incisors. Sheep consume salt and minerals not when they are hungry, but when their bodies tell them they need it. This is why you should provide salt and minerals in separate containers. Sometimes a sheep's body needs more salt than minerals, and vise versa. However, if the salt and mineral is mixed together, like many people do, a sheep is unable to get the specific nutrient they need. Since we can never actually predict when each individual sheep needs these extra nutrients, they most be offered free choice all the time. If for some reason you are not offering free choice salt and mineral to your lambs or if they just haven't had access to it in a while, be cautious on how you reintroduce it to them. If sheep go an extended period of time without salt or minerals, and are then offered free choice salt and minerals, they may gorge themselves on it. Sheep will do this because they have been craving these nutrients for such a long time they just don't know when to stop eating it once it is offered. If this happens, slowly introduce the salt to your lamb. Give it only a small amount of minerals. Each day allow it a little more. Whenever your lamb doesn't go crazy over the minerals any more, you can once again offer them free choice.
Health Care
Adequate health care is vital to your lamb's well being. The best way to keep your lamb healthy and happy is to provide your lamb with preventative measures against diseases and illnesses. Be sure to ask your breeder what kind of preventative medications your lamb has had before you bring it home. Breeders should have given all lambs a CD/T vaccine and a followup booster. If you lamb didn't receive the CD/T, be sure you get the two doses into your lamb. Good shepherds will also have already wormed the lambs. Get yourself onto a scheduled worming program immediately and stick with it. Be sure to check withdrawl dates on medications when it gets close to fair time before worming your lamb. I also recommend feeding a coccidiosis treatment to your lamb. Most commercial lamb feeds include this in their feed. You can find out if it's in your lamb feed by reading the feed tag. If your feed doesn't contain a coccidiosis treatment, you should supplement your lambs feed with some sort of treatment.
Living Quarters
Many people never even consider where they will house their lambs until they bring them home. Please have your lamb's prepared living quarters ready for them when you bring them to their new home. A lamb pen can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. Just make sure your lamb's pen is big enough for it to move around in easily. While your lamb's stall at the fair or a show is just big enough for the lamb to walk around a bit and lay down, your lamb's pen at home should be a little more spacious. For a single lamb, I recommend a minimum of a 100 square feet pen. When constructing your pen, be sure the fencing is strong and tall enough to keep your lamb in, and other animals out. A 10' x 10' dog kennel makes a great pen for one lamb. Your lamb's pen should have some sort of shelter from the wind and rain, shade from the sun, and a sunny area. Be sure to keep your lamb's pen clean with a daily cleaning.
Exercise
Just as exercise is important to your health, it is also vital to your lamb's health and well being as well. Be sure to establish a regular exercise program for your lamb. The program may need to be adjusted to body size, condition, activity level, and appetite.
Individual Attention
Every lamb deserves individual attention. No, by this I don't mean a daily petting and talking to like a dog needs. While this type of treatment will in no way harm your lamb, the special attention your lamb needs is to keep it healthy. Learn each and every one of your lambs' habits and normal behaviors. If your lamb is normally very vocal and excited during feeding time and then one day you notice that he's walking with his head down and not talking, then something may be wrong. It's very important to pay attention to your lamb's body as well. Those who pay close attention to their lambs know when they have a cut on their body or a hurt foot. Keep an eye on your lamb's stool and urinating habits as well. While some may find it odd to always watch your lamb relieving itself, you are insuring that nothing is wrong with your lamb's body. Please study your lamb's behavior, whether it is good or bad.
Show Training
Beginners with lamb projects often don't realize that training a lamb has a lot to do with how well you do in the show ring. You can't expect your lamb to go right out into the show ring and lead, stand still, and brace perfectly if you don't first work with your lamb. Of course, there are a few people that can pull it off with pure luck. If you don't want to take that chance, and most people don't, then your lamb will need to be taught how to walk correctly without a halter and how to brace in the show ring.
Halter Breaking
Halter breaking your lamb has many advantages. While it isn't required that your lamb be halter broke, it makes things a lot easier. A lamb that is used to having a halter on can be walked for exercise, tied for bathing or examining, or can also aid in training to lead without the halter.
Weighing
Show lambs will need to be weighed regularly. This helps you to insure that your lamb is growly accurately. It will also help you to adjust your feeding and exercising program to each lamb's individual needs. If you don't have access to scales on a regular basis, you can try estimating your lamb's weight.
More Information
For more information on how to properly care for a lamb, I recommend reading books on the subject. One book I recommend to everyone is Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep by Paula Simmons.
