The five "fixed" principles for artificial nursing of lambs

For artificial nursing of lambs, goat milk, cow milk, skimmed milk powder or milk replacer can be used. When feeding, the following issues should be noted.

Fixed time

Arrange nursing times reasonably. Lambs within 1 month of age are fed once every 3 hours; from 1 month to 2 months of age, feed 4 times a day; from 2 months to 3 months of age, feed 3 times a day; after that age, feed 1 to 2 times a day. As age in months increases, gradually reduce the number of feedings and appropriately increase the amount fed each time.

Fixed amount

The feeding amount should be premised on meeting the nutritional needs of the lamb. Feeding too much can cause indigestion, or even diarrhea; feeding too little leads to insufficient nutrition and affects the lamb's growth and development. Initially, feed each lamb about 250 grams per feeding, and adjust as appropriate according to individual differences, activity level and age. Generally speaking, the daily nursing amount should be no less than 16% of body weight.

Fixed temperature

The milk temperature for artificial nursing should be close to or slightly higher than the ewe's body temperature, that is, 38°C~42°C is suitable.

Fixed quality

The milk fed to lambs must be fresh and clean, with freshly expressed milk being best. For milk products kept at low temperature, warm and stir before feeding so that the milk is mixed evenly.

Regular disinfection

To prevent disease, after each feeding rinse the utensils clean with fresh water, and disinfect them once every two days with boiling alkaline water.