Even healthy lambs need supplementary heat for the first few weeks after birth if the outside temperature is low. A hot water bottle or infra-red lamp can supply additional warmth. It may be noticed that lambs on a cold milk diet will shiver for a short period of time after suckling. In this case, infra-red lamps are the ideal source of warmth. It is also important that as the lamb grows it gets as much exposure to sunlight as possible.
Sunlight is the source of vitamin D which is vital for the growth of the lamb.
It is extremely important to keep all feeding equipment and mixing utensils clean and hygienic. After each feeding, dismantle all equipment, rinse in cold water, scrub in hot water with a disinfectant and then rinse in hot water and leave to dry. The use of equipment that has not been cleaned thoroughly can introduce infection and cause scouring. Clean dung from the shelter area regularly. Place all foodstuffs such as hay, pellets, crumbles and water in receptacles that do not allow contamination by the lamb.