Baby Lamb Needs A Bottle
The first 24 hours or so after birth are a
crucial time for the ewe and her lambs.
During this time, bonding occurs and the ewe as well as her lambs learn to identify each other. They can tell a difference in smell and the sounds each other makes.
However sometimes and for several possible reasons, A mamma ewe will reject her baby
and that leaves you with a choice.
You can either step in and intervene, or not.
By intervening,
you run the risk of permanent
separation of baby and mamma.
This little ones mamma had a set of twins and chose to care for the strongest one.
Leaving the other little girl to fend for herself.
There was no choice but to
step in and save the baby this time.
"Master Mess Maker" (MMM) had no idea what she was getting into when she said yes to this little bottle lamb. She soon found out that care consisted of keeping the baby well fed, warm and safe from predators....
At night the baby was kept in a kennel up at the house under several insulating blankets. There was plenty of clean straw to bed down in and we fed the baby every few hours around the clock.
Attachment happened, our hearts grew and it was time to give her a name.
Master Mess Maker (MMM) loves movies. Beauty and the Beast happens to be one of the favorites. Since the lamb constantly said "Baa- Baa" and Babette is the feather duster on the little movie, the name Baa-Baa was a natural fit.
Over the first few days, we could tell Baa-Baa wanted space to roam. MMM made a little pen for Baa-Baa. Known as a JUG. A jug is where you would place the mamma and baby for the first few days, so they could bond with each other.
