Lambs ANY day!! How close is she?

TulipAcres

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We are new to lambing, though our two ewes are not. Rue, this brown ewe, I suspect will go first. I’ve had an eye on her for a while. How close do you think she is? Days? Weeks? Christmas lambs?!!
 

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TulipAcres

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Sharing an update…

Both these ewes are looking puffy. I believe my white ewe has a couple more weeks. But figured I’d share photos in case anyone else is searching through for more info. These are from yesterday.

I can’t decide if my white ewe, Clover, looks to have a single or twins.
 

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TulipAcres

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Sharing an update…

Both these ewes are looking puffy. I believe my white ewe has a couple more weeks. But figured I’d share photos in case anyone else is searching through for more info. These are from yesterday.

I can’t decide if my white ewe, Clover, looks to have a single or twins.
Great photos!

Wonderful looking sheep, what kind are they?

I am never good at guessing due dates.

@Baymule would you care to guess?
Thank you!

Still no lambs.
These are full katahdin hair sheep. We raise for meat in our backyard. :)
 

TulipAcres

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Still no signs of labor. Now she looks less bagged up than before 🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️
 

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Baymule

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They will make you crazy. I raise Katahdins. I have commercial sheep, plus a registered ram. Finally got 3 registered ewes, I really want a registered ram out of Ringo, to carry on his bloodlines.

I have a ewe, Miranda Lambert, who bags up like a top champion milk goat. Looks like a basketball squeezed between her back legs! And she will look like that for WEEKS!! :barnie Her daughters bag up, but not like their momma!

Mine bag up, then their bellies drop. When that happens, it is usually not too far off. I'd say yours may have another 1- 2 months to go. I could certainly be wrong, but going by mine, that would be my guess. Any sooner, take it as a nice surprise. Any later, I suspect you will have pulled all your hair out!

The white one reminds me of my ewe, Ewenique. She never gets a big wide belly. She never gets a huge bag. But when birth is coming soon, her belly drops.

Lambs are adorable. Name the girls, name the boys Dinner. LOL LOL
 

TulipAcres

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We do plan to name the ewe lambs. And for any ram lambs we will call then Taco and Nacho or some other food name. (They are delicious!)
The earliest I expect my white ewe, Clover, to go is January 1st. That’s dated from when I saw our ram doing the courting stuff (I never saw any of them breed).
Rue, the brown one, we just don’t know because we got her later in the summer and she was running with rams the whole time. We are hoping she lambs before February because then for sure those lambs would have different ram genetics than Clovers. She isn’t as long as Clover so I think that’s part of why she is so wide.

I’m still checking on them three or four times a day to see if there are any signs of real labor.
I sure hope it’s not another month!!!
 

Ridgetop

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We use a marking harness but sometimes ewes don't mark and are bred, or mark and are not settled. At least it gives a couple days spread. if they don't lamb on the estimated due date we figure another 2 weeks since their cycles are usually 14-18 days apart. Much easier.

However, guessing how soon or how many by the size of the ewe or her bag isn't specific. I have had enormous ewes deliver a tiny single lamb. I have had skinny little ewes deliver huge twins. I have had ewes (and dairy does) that bagged a month ahead and sje that only come into their milk after delivery.

Like Bay says, their goal in life is to make you crazy. And no matter how large your flock grows you never get tired of newborn lambs!
 

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