One of the most challenging periods of shepherding is the first 5-10 hours of a new-born lamb’s life. Poor weather or freezing temps can only exacerbate the situation. The age of the lamb (in hours) effects whether you’re treating solely for hypothermia (under 5 hours and still using the last of its brown fat reserves) or if you must also treat for hypoglycemia (over 5 hours and burned through their brown fat reserve). At this point both lambs need the immunity and glucose that their mother’s colostrum contains. If the lamb is too weak to nurse the best solution is to express some of the mother’s colostrum and tube feed that to the lamb. Other solutions are to thaw already frozen colostrum or use a commercial colostrum replacer.
The age of the lamb- less than 5 hours old or more then 5 hours old-will effect the feeding and warming process.
I find the below chart to be helpful when going through the mental checklist of reviving a cold lamb. How you respond to a hypothermic lamb versus a lamb that is both hypothermic & hypoglycemic is different.
This is a good article from Ohio State on handling hypothermic and hypoglycemic lambs.
Please remember that I am not a veterinarian and provide this information as only a secondary resource. It is always best to consult with your veterinarian before lambing to discuss the best options for warming and caring for cold lambs.
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