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How to Use a Nurser Lamb Bucket

A part of the annual routine for any shepherd is the need to feed a few infants from each spring's lambing season. There are various reasons for doing so. Some lambs are too sickly or weak to nurse for themselves, and some may be rejected by their mothers. This is especially common when the ewe produces triplets, rather than twins. In a few cases, the mother may have died during lambing. In any case, a nursing bucket is a practical method for feeding multiple lambs.

Things You'll Need

Milk replacer
Warm water
Whisk
Nurser bucket
Nipples

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare your milk replacer by whisking the powder into warm water until it is thoroughly dissolved, then chill it overnight in your refrigerator. During the first two weeks, lambs will require just over a quart of milk per lamb per day, or just under one pound of dry powder.
- 2
  Clean and sterilize the nurser bucket and nipples thoroughly.
- 3
  Fit the bucket with as many nipples as you have lambs, leaving the remainder sealed.
- 4
  Fill the bucket with milk replacer, and carry it to the lambs' pen. Some models are designed with a flat back to hang on a fence, others have a handle and require a sturdy hook. Suspend the bucket appropriately.
- 5
  Remove the bucket every two or three days for a thorough cleaning. Sterilize the nipples, and replace any that are worn and damaged. Refill the bucket, and replace it in the pen.

Animals & Science