Thursday, January 24, 2013

Lily is sick

Lily has scours. (diarrhea) This kills 46% of the little lambs lost. From what I have learned, it happens in bottle raised animals quite often. Even those raised by experts. I tried to find out on the internet how to combat this problem. Many ideas. So I emailed the experts at my local agri-school. They told me that they get scours in their orphaned animals quite often and how to handle it. So Lily is off the lamb milk replacement and is on a formula of whole cows milk with buttermilk and evaporated milk mixed in it. I think the buttermilk has the good bacteria that will balance her system. They said in a couple of days she should be doing better. Now she is very strong and active. She runs with her sisters and plays "king of the mountain". So I am not too worried. I think I have caught this in time.
I am not a full time farmer. I have a day job. Sort of. I am an Architect and have my own firm. Well, my two partners and I. My time is very flexible. But having to be home every 4-6 hours is even rough on me sometimes. It will get easier as Lily gets older and then she will be wiened at 8 weeks. About the time I get my new great pyrenese puppies! They will be wiened too but will still need to be watched with the lambs and sheep and chickens for a bit. Animals are very time consuming but I do enjoy them all.

1 comment:

  1. There's a look on your face when Lily "butts" your hand with the bottle in it. Like what they do with their own mothers? It seems the nest has been reoccupied.. =p

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