Are my ewes close to lambing?

Sheepshape

Herd Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
1,706
Reaction score
3,095
Points
373
TheSwindler..... I still think there's a while to go yet. Murphy's Law as applied to sheep says that you watch them like a hawk who has drunk too much coffee....day by day you watch the parts of a sheep that others never even want to see. You have a momentary lapse of interest after what has seemed like an whole army of days looking at said parts (fall asleep, eat a meal, take a shower etc) and come back to find....WHAT IS THAT?.....ewe has given birth. To be honest, this is the best way by far for things to happen.

Fingers crossed for you!
 

Ridgetop

Herd Master
Joined
Mar 13, 2015
Messages
6,572
Reaction score
22,280
Points
693
Location
Shadow Hills, CA
Since the ewes were still with the ram until December 8, they might not lamb until May. Udder growth is good since it proves they are actually pregnant, but ewes can also develop an udder just days before lambing. One of my Dorper first freshening ewes had a nice big udder 2 months before lambing while the other first freshener ewe had no udder until 2 weeks before lambing and then actually lambed first.

You need to calculate your lambing dates based on exposure to the ram. What was the first date that the ewes were with the ram? Count 155 days from that date and anything in between that date and 155 days after December 8 are their due dates. They do not look very close to lambing but you can't tell a lot from pix. That is one reason I have gone back to using a marking harness on my ram. By writing down the dates the ram marks the ewes, you can pin point the date of breeding and calculate the lambing dates.

How many lambs has each ewe had before? How many lambings? Did they lamb last year? The 6 year old ewe looks pretty thin. She might not be pregnant, or not be very far along. Pregnancies are hard on older animals. I would up her groceries. Since your pasture looks pretty sparse, add more hay, discontinue the pellets, and add rolled barleycorn to their ration. I would feed a full flake (about 10 lbs.) alfalfa 2 times a day. Alfalfa is a high protein hay (we feed all alfalfa here in California since it is most common) and it provides a lot of nourishment and calcium. If you have to use Bermuda hay, then you want to add more protein in another way. Bermuda is lower in protein but will give them the roughage that they need for healthy rumen. I would feed about 1/2 lb. rolled barleycorn per ewe per day in addition to the hay. You can stop the pellets since sheep are ruminants and require roughage to make their rumens work. Pellets are a milled food, and do not supply the required roughage. They are ok for horses but not so good for ruminants.

If you can catch these ewes, do a feel test for condition. There are lots of articles on condition scoring on the internet. You don't want to feel any bony processes on the spines. You want a light fat covering over the ribs, and the hips should not be bony or protruding. Have they been wormed and vaccinated recently? You need to worm them and make sure they are vaccinated with CDT. Keep them on the same feeding regime while they are milking and nursing lambs. If they look like they are losing condition, up the grain ration. Then make sure they are in good condition before breeding again.

Hope this helps.
 

TheSwindler

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Messages
31
Reaction score
36
Points
56
Location
Central Texas
Just following up here - I waited and waited and waited, and lambs never came! o_O 😭

We got a ram and I'm pretty sure all our ewes are about 2.5 months along now. I'll see if I can get some pictures...
 

TheSwindler

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Messages
31
Reaction score
36
Points
56
Location
Central Texas
Ridgetop, thanks for the great info! Question about the pellets. Is it ok to give as a treat? They get about two cups a day split between all of them.
They get lots of coastal and I'm going to up their alfalfa soon. I occasionally give them just a bit of grain based sheep food. Any other ideas for protein?
 

Sheepshape

Herd Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
1,706
Reaction score
3,095
Points
373
Sorry to hear that you didn't get lambs.
The later stages of pregnancy in sheep is pretty obvious.....belly balloons, udder swells and 'dropping' around the tail.
If there is a reasonably priced Scan Man (or Lady), then the guess work can be taken out. Our local scanner comes in about 30 days after the ram is taken out and tells us the number of lambs which we may expect.
Over here (wool sheep) the median length of ovine pregnancy is 147 days with a range of 140-150 days. The shortest pregnancies are in the largest breeds (like Blue Faced Leicesters) and the those ewes expecting two or more lambs.
Another way to determine possible pregnancy in sheep is to put saddle powder or a paddle harness on the ram. Raddle powder mixed with a bit of vegetable oil is plastered over the chest of the ram or placed in the harness pad. If he mounts the ewes saddle powder is transferred to the ewe's bum and is easy to see. This will not confirm if the ewe is pregnant or not, just if she has been mated.
I DO hope that you have lambs this time round. They really are a joy.
 

Baymule

Herd Master
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
33,094
Reaction score
98,671
Points
873
Location
East Texas
That's too bad about the false pregnancy, but now you have your own ram and things will get busy soon! LOL I have a ewe that bags up like a cow 3-4 weeks before giving birth, she makes me crazy! The top ligaments over their hips and top base of their tails will soften up a few days before giving birth. Along their spine will get all soft and mushy and kinda sunken in a little. That's an easier indicator than watching a milk bag!
 

TheSwindler

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Messages
31
Reaction score
36
Points
56
Location
Central Texas
MVIMG_20191206_142423.jpg

Lilith - she's about a month away from her due date
 

Latest posts

Top