Pregnant sheep?

[katechaa]

Hi all, I'm new to owning sheep.
We moved into an old goat farm, and the owners stopped the goat farming a long time a go, and now have three sheep here.
We were told the sheep are old, and I believed it, but I think the female one is pregnant.
How can you tell? I know it sounds sooooo silly, but I've never owned sheep before.
There is one female and two males. She is so much fatter than the two males, like a lot fatter. Do sheep just get fat in their old age, or....?

Any advice is welcome, thanks!!

 

[Ruus]

Are these two rams or two wethers she's running with? (are the males intact?) Sheep don't really do menopause, if the ewe has been out there with two intact males for a while she's probably pregnant.

If they're wethers (castrated males) and she's an older ewe who's had lots of lambs, she could also just be stretched out. And sometimes a really full rumen looks like a baby bulge.

 

[BrownSheep]

If she hasn't lambed in a while she could have started putting on some weight.

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

Like Ruus said, if the boys are not fixed, she most likely is pregnant! If they are fixed, you won't know if she is pregnant or not till maybe 5 months after you got her, or, a monthish before she has her lamb/s (her udder will start swelling and getting poofy)!

 

[katechaa]

Thanks all for the replies.
I've only been living here since May, so I have no idea if they're wethers or not. Unless sheep had visible balls like dogs, then I can't tell. I tired to upload a photo of them yesterday, but it wont let me. I'll try again tonight.

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

Lol, sheep 'balls' are very visible!! Much bigger than dogs! On an adult ram most times, they hang down to their knees, ya can't miss them!

 

[katechaa]

Ha! Now I'm a little embarrassed! I've never seen a sheep with his testes, so I thought they were hidden or something

Thank you!

 

[EllieMay]

Yeah, they are VERY visible!!!
Sounds like you're safe.
The boys you have are probably cut (if there's nothing to see).
Your ewe is probably just fat.
I have two fatties that were spoiled rotten at their previous farm, so they're HUGE.
Everyone thinks they're pregnant.
Congrats on your new life with sheep!

 

[SheepGirl]

Yes, sheep balls are VERY visible!!

The natural colored sheep on the left is a wether. Nothing hanging between his legs! The natural colored sheep on the right in the background is a ram. Can you see his manhood? It's very visible, even at that distance

ANYWAY, onto your question

What breed of sheep are they? Being in late August, almost September, it is very unlikely she is bred. They normally start to breed at about this time. It is likely she is just fat and/or has a full rumen. What is her BCS? Does she have any udder development? Do you have any photos? Maybe you think she's fat but in reality she may just be in good condition

 

[Sheepshape]

Does this help?