You can feed a lamb cow’s milk in an emergency, but it is not ideal. Sheep milk is richer than cow’s milk, with roughly twice the fat and more protein, so lambs on plain cow’s milk often grow slower and can get diarrhea. A lamb milk replacer made for lambs is the better choice whenever you can get it. Whatever you feed, the most important thing is that a newborn lamb gets colostrum in its first hours.
Colostrum first
Newborn lambs have almost no antibodies of their own. They get them from colostrum, the first milk from the ewe. A lamb should nurse or be fed colostrum within the first hours of life, and extension services recommend about 10 percent of body weight in colostrum over the first 24 hours, split into several feedings. If the ewe has none, use frozen colostrum from another ewe or a colostrum replacer made for lambs or kids. Cow colostrum is a last resort.
Cow’s milk, milk replacer, or goat milk
- Lamb milk replacer: mixed to the label. This is the best option for orphan lambs.
- Whole cow’s milk: a short-term fix. Some shepherds add a little fat to it, but that changes the balance, so ask your vet for a safe recipe.
- Calf milk replacer: usually lower in fat and may contain medication or ingredients not suited to lambs, so read the label.
- Goat milk: closer to sheep milk than cow’s milk, and often well accepted.
How much and how often
Very young lambs need small, frequent meals, then fewer, larger ones as they grow. A common plan is several feedings per day in the first week, dropping as the lamb takes more per meal. Ask your vet to match a plan to the lamb’s weight and breed, and follow the label if you use replacer. Warm milk to about body temperature, use clean bottles and nipples every time, and never overfeed, which causes bloat and scours.
Warning signs
- Cold, weak, or limp lamb. Warm the lamb up first, because a cold lamb cannot digest milk.
- Diarrhea, bloated belly, or refusing the bottle.
- Hunched posture or not standing within an hour or so after birth.
Call a vet quickly for any of these. Lambs can go downhill within hours.
Weaning
Offer fresh water, a good lamb creep feed, and fine hay from the first week or two so the rumen develops. Wean gradually once the lamb eats solid feed well.
Related guides
Bottom Line
Get colostrum into the lamb first, then use lamb milk replacer if you can. Plain cow’s milk will work for a short time, but it is thinner than ewe milk. Ask your vet for help with a weak or orphaned lamb.
