1st pregnancy udder development?

[Dale HWA]

So here is a little background, We( my wife and I) bought 4 ewes and 1 Ram last year, there was a mother and her ewelamb and then 2 more 6-8mo old ewe lambs.

We introduced our Ram that we had bought at the same time, into the flock beginning of Sept. '18. our oldest ewe(Goldberry) ( the one that we bought with her daughter) Just had a Baby Ram on the 12th of Feb.'19

I know for a fact that 1 of the older ewe lambs(Eva) is pregnant. (she looks like a bus...don't tell her I said that!) this will be here first pregnancy.
Can someone tell me what the udder feels like on a Approx 1 yr old ewe, I felt the udder of ewe #3(Anna) (she like people) and it kind of feels a little squishy but its definitely not big yet like the older mom's was before having her lamb. if she isn't pregnant will the udder feel firm and flat against the body or does it still have some "give" and squish to it? this probably all sounds hilarious to a more seasoned farmer but I would like to be there for the births, as the 1st lamb was born in the middle of a snowstorm at night in the barn. and was a total surprise kinda...was expecting him any day but all of a sudden he's there!

Thanks!

 

[MiniSilkys]

I don't know about sheep but I have goats. Sometimes they don't get udder development until kidding. It's like here is the kid and bam! now here is the udder. That is the way it was for my oldest doe but her doeling did not live. I think it was a copule weeks or so early. Didn't have good lungs. But this year I have a 1 year old that is due March 6 (we will see). She started developing an udder mid-Jan.. I have another doe that is two weeks younger than her cousin and her udder is flat. She is either not pregnant or in early stages because she was exposed to my buck only in Dec. I don't know if this helps but I hope so. Also you should read up on the threads from the birthing forums because they have a lot of great information on them. If you read up on how to find and check for the ligaments on does and I guess ewes as well, then you will be able to have a better idea on when the impending birth is near. Right now I am checking on my close does everyday. The closest one is 2 weeks away. You should also check with misfitmorgan, baymule, Mike CHS, and I think maybe latestarter, because they have sheep. Good luck. Babies are amazing!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I have several ewe lambs bred this year.
This ewe's mom, the first time she lambed she seemed to bag up two weeks before she lambed. I hadn't been sure they'd been bred and days before shearing noticed full on udder. I lost my notes last year (don't leave your notes in the barn! pen ink and roof drip didn't mix...) and can't recall how soon beforehand she bagged up. Right now she has a huge udder and looks like she's in full milk. But, her udder isn't tight-full. If you touch the udder it has give. I'm guessing soon before she lambs her bag will get jam packed tight. She is due April 1 but I'm starting lamb watch probably March 26.

The ewes will just have teats tucked right up flat against the belly. In this late part of gestation they're supposed to also work on udder growth and getting ready to nurse. The ewe lambs all have a little "paunch" udder. Some are bigger than others. I'm hoping to make some notes on this and see if that correlates to udder size after lambing.
Also the teats have grown and are no longer the tiny skin bits they were.

This is an adult ewe who's lambed before. I'm expecting her udder to fill in soon before lambing.

I just saw this post was from Feb but I thought this might help someone

 

[Dale HWA]

awesome, thanks for the info!!!, i noticed with my ewe's that they have a little give but inside its quite tight once they have milk... i know this because about 3 hours after i felt one ewe she LAMBED!!! while i was at work!!! a little baby ewe lamb!!! we are so thrilled!!!

 

[MiniSilkys]

Congratulations. Since I first posted here I have had two sets of twins born. One set of doelings (3 weeks old) from a first freshener and a set of buckling/doeling (3 days old) from a second freshener. The buck has trouble nursing because he is half blind. He is a half time bottle baby.

 

[luvmypets]

This gives me baby fever. We have five pregnant pigs right now, three of which we arent sure when they are due.

 

[MiniSilkys]

I thought Anna was still a month away and then all of a sudden I had twins. She was very big at all.