The artificial rearing of lambs

Artificial rearing involves the replacement of those contributions made by the ewe which are essential to the growth and development of the lamb. This not only includes the supply of food but also the warmth, shelter and ‘mothering’ normally provided by the ewe. Relatively little information is available on the artificial rearing of lambs. The earliest report, perhaps, is that of Mumford (1901) who bottle-fed the milk produced by eight ewes to four lambs. The more practical aspects of rearing orphan lambs have been described by Preston (1958) and Caldwell (1957). More recent reports on the artificial rearing of lambs have been made by the Grassland Research Institute (1959–60, 1960–61), Cunningham, Edwards & Simpson (1961) and Large (1962).