Fostering lambs by odor transfer

Orphaned lambs present difficulties to sheep producers. The question is how to entice ewes to adopt extra lambs. Amniotic (birth) fluids are attactive to the ewe for a few hours after she gives birth; these fluids stimulate the ewe to groom her offspring, during which time she becomes familiar with her lamb's unique odor. Thereafter, lambs without this "own-lamb" odor are almost always rejected. The authors studied a variation that does not require a dead lamb.