Annie Sharpe with sock lambs at Bockhill Farm

Annie Sharpe with ‘sock’ lambs at Bockhill Farm.

Here is some information on ‘sock lambs’ from a student at Hadlow College:
the ‘sock lambs’ were the lambs who weren’t receiving enough milk and nutrients from their mother and so they had to be taken away in order for them to survive. Unfortunately, once these lambs have been taken from their mother, it is highly unlikely that the mother will take them back although if they weren’t taken then they simply would not survive for much longer. Taking the lamb away to be bottle fed is always the last resort.
To feed the lambs we used powdered milk and added warm water so the milk would not be too cold or too hot for the lambs. We then filled around six clean bottles with this milk and covered the top with a rubber teat similar to that of a ewe. I have to say that bottle feeding the ‘sock lambs’ was definitely the best part of my day. The lambs were absolutely gorgeous and I could tell how hungry they were since as soon as you walked in they all stood up and started crying swarming around your legs for the milk.’