Few sheep can produce milk for more than 3 babies at a time, so when a sheep produces more than three kids it is common for the farmer to take the extras and bottle raise them. These are sometimes sold as "dumb lambs" to people who want to bottle raise their own baby sheep. In 2021, we got a bottle baby to raise as a pet. I am going to share what we learned here. 

RaisIng A Lamb

Whether you want to raise a house pet, a farm animal or anything in between, there are some basic things you need to know to raise a baby lamb.

​The first few days after birth are a critical time for the little bottle lambs. They must adjust to feeding from a bottle as well as living without a mother and this transition can be hard on them. A lamb can go down hill fast during these first days, so it is important to keep a close eye on them and do a lot of hands on care.
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Equiptment You Need for one lamb

• 2 bottles - I like to have an extra around in case I need to make up two at once or one is dirty
• 4 nipples - Again, I like to have extra in case some get chewed up or are dirty
• 1 pint or more mixing cup - I use a pyrex, glass mixing cup that holds two pints and just mix one pint at a time. This is about the right amount for the 16 oz bottles and is an easy measurement to mix.
• metal whisk, small - A fork works too. This is to mix the powder milk with the water.
• Lamb Milk Replacer, 2 bags - Make sure this says for LAMBS. Milk made for goats or other animals can have copper in it and this is toxic to lambs. I like having two bags so I don't run out of one in the middle of the night when I can't replace it. As soon as I am done with one I buy another.
• 50 lb bag Lamb Creep Feed - It can be hard to get the lamb to eat solid food. "Creep Feed" is specifically made to be the first solid food an animal eats and can help make it easier to introduce the lamb to solid food.
• Big Metal Bolt or Carabiner - Something to put in the Creep Feed to get the lamb's attention. At first she will be drawn to everything that isn't food, including the bolt. She will play with it mixed in with the feed and get feed on her lips, then eventually figure out that the feed is the good part.
• Puppy Pads for big dogs - I bought a pack of XL 90 pads to start with.
• 3-4 boxes, large cut into trays - Like the banana boxes we get at Costco
• diapers, human swim diapers size 3 (16-26 lbs) - You may need bigger or smaller but these are a good bet for a newborn lamb. We start with a small pack of the size right bellow these and within a week move up to these. A week after that we have to move up a size again.
• onesies, human size - Again, you need a few sizes. Size 3 (16-26 lb or 0-3 months) is a good start but you will need a size bigger than that soon.
• lots of old blankets or towels - Lots of these and the ability to wash them daily.
• large plastic dog crate - We set up a large size dog crate in our bedroom and the lamb sleeps in there the first few weeks.
• animal cage - We have some portable animal panels which we set up in the living room with puppy pads lining the floor.
• 2 non-tippable dog dishes - One for water and one for creep feed.
• Woolite - I bath my lambs in woolite most of the time. It cleans them well but doesn't get the really grimy stuff off.
• extra strong cleanser - This is for an occasional deep clean when my lamb is particularly gross.
• (maybe) heat lamp - If you want to leave them outside and not in the house, they will need to stay warm the first couple of weeks and will need a safe, secure heat lamp set up for them to sleep under.
• (maybe) dry, warm stall near other animals but secure enough to keep them out - If you want to leave them outside instead of in the house, they need a safe, secure place to be.

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FEED
- First 18 hours: The lamb should have a colostrum replacement fed as often and as much as she will eat, or at least every two hours.

It may be difficult to get the lamb to take the bottle at first. A rubber or plastic nipple doesn't feel the same as a live mother's body. Usually you can force the issue a little bit by holding the lamb's body tight under one arm and using that hand to pry open the lamb's mouth, then use the other arm and hand to put the bottle's nipple into the lamb's mouth. Squirt a little milk onto the tongue and often the lamb will figure it out from there. Just be careful not to squirt too much out at once. This can go down the wrong tube and get in the baby's lungs.
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- First Two Weeks: Bottle feed anywhere from every 2 hours to every 6 hours, depending on how your lamb is doing and what she wants. After a couple of days of being on the bottle, she will show you when she is hungry by franticly nuzzling around your legs and butting her head up like she is looking for a teat. I let my babies eat as much as they want during this time, but a lamb should consume at least 20% of its body weight in food per day. This means a 12 lb lamb should eat about 34 oz of milk each day, or just over two full 16 oz. bottles. It is helpful to weigh the lamb regularly, but I usually just watch her body. A healthy lamb will quickly loose that gaunt, thin look of birth and round out. Her belly will be solid but not over round. Too round and you may be feeding too much, though the belly always gets round after feeding for a while.

My lamb ate about 3 1/2 bottles a day for most of the first two weeks, though she was up to four by the end of that time.

Mid way through the first two weeks, your lamb should start to ingest some solid food. She doesn't need much, just enough to get her rumen system working. I had trouble getting her to eat hay, straw, apples or anything remotely food like until I bought a bag of Creep Feed for lambs. "Creep Feed" is a type of feed that is formulated to be ideal for introducing young animals to solid food for the fist time. (The bag may not say creep feed, but your local feed store can tell you what the ideal creep feed is for your animal.) I put a large metal carabiner in the feed bowl and set it next to her. She explores the carabiner (ignoring the feed) but ends up getting some on her lips and soon realizes that the feed is where it's at. After that I let her have free choice to a bowl of feed a few times per day.
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- Next Two Weeks:
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BEDDING

BATHS

PLAY

​HOUSETRAINIG

​DIAPERS AND ONSIES