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My understanding of colostrum is that it is naturally the first milk a baby gets from her mom. So if your lambs are drinking in the first couple days they will get it naturally. There should be no need to supplement. And they don't need too much so even if they get just a little they should have that boost of immunity they need.

Now I am speaking from a dog perspective here, so keep that in mind.

Oh...and happy lambing!

With calving and foaling, we only give colostrum if the baby can't get it from mom - either through being rejected, death of the mother, or if the baby physically can't nurse and we're not sure that our hand-milking and then bottle feeding the baby isn't doing the trick. Generally, they also need to receive it in the first 24 hours to get the full benefits of it. Beyond that time period, you're wasting your money.

If the baby is dry and under shelter with warm bedding, and able to drink from mom without help, he/she should be fine.

On very cold days - 30 below or colder - where we can't wait for the calf warmer to heat up, I end up with a calf in my basement. It's usually only for a few hours until he's dried off and warmed up, then it's back out with mama!

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We never give colostrum unless they are orphan, or too weak to nurse. If they are brought in without drinking on mom they are given colostrum for the first couple feedings.
We make sure our lambs are out of the wind in a pen to bond with mom, try to make sure they are eating ok and generally doing well, once dry and well bonded they go out with the rest of the flock. Generally we are not looking at -30 but -20 in most years.

R. Roo wrote:I do the vitamin shots and I think it makes a difference in their growth and development.

We give the vitamin shots to every calf as well, as standard procedure. Usually they get banded (the boys) and receive their vitamin shots at the same time, within a day or two of birth.

Does anyone do Vitamin K? - it used to be the big thing.

We havent used any vitamins in our lambs, we had one weak orphan last year gave her the ADE and Selenium but not sure she really needed it. We give our sheep good minerals, salt and good hay during pregnancy. I think the vitamins definately don't hurt and might start giving those as well.
The vitamin K I havent used either, that is more of a clotting issue vitamin, might be good to give that to the ewes after birth?

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R. Roo wrote:Last I heard of vitamin K was in the 80's, found in apricot kernels, supposedly a cyanide molecule sandwiched between two ?? other molecules, they claimed the cyanide would bond to cancerous cells and kill them but healthy cells bind to the other molecules and are unharmed. Dunno its just what I read a long time ago and I heard they would not approve it for use just because of the cyanide molecule.

I dont like having to inject the young lambs with vittamins, so small and nothing to put a needle into, but I really think it makes a difference in how they grow. I dont do any of the vaccinations, and have never observed any sickness aside from a coughing fit now and then. Not broken, why fix it ?? broken? fix or discard right?

That is vitamin b17 you're talking about. Vitamin K is a blood clotting vitamin. They inject it into newborn babies as well. I prefer the gel former personally but to each their own..