Orphan Lambs Can Be Saved By Use of Colostrum

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 26, 17 August 1949, Page 3

Orphan Lambs Can Be Saved By Use of Colostrum

A lamb which has already sucked a freshly-lambed ewe is easier to rear as an orphan by hand (;i necessary) than is one which has not been fortified by the unique qualities of colostrum milk. Colostrum is secreted for only a short time after lambing, is richer than ordinary milk in protein, chiefly globulin, and contains also more minerals. It has an exceedingly important function, providing specific anti-bodies which temporarily -protect the young animal against certain diseases of the digestive system. Colostrum is rich in vitamin A and has a marked laxative action. One of "its natural functions is to clear the digestive tract of accumulated faecal matter, a dry, puttylike substance known as meconium. There is no adequate substitute for colostrum; but, if it is not available, a teaspoonful of warm cod liver oil, repeated as required, will serve to cleanse the digestive tract. Cow’s milk given subsequently should not be watered, as' is commonly done. The strippings from a high-testing Jersey cow should be satisfactory, or otherwise cream should be added to the milk.

Apart from their sentimental value as pets for boys .and girls, orphan lambs so reared may return as a . marketable product less money than it costs to rear them. This does not apply to lambs born in a registered flock.