shetland ewe/ram questions from a newbie!

[birdgirl1975]

I took on a ram and ewe and am.completely clueless.

My questions are, is there a way to tell if she's bred right now? Should I be concerned that she has scratches and chunks of wool pulled out of her back near the base of her tail (from the ram during breeding? Like the roosters do to the hens.)? Need I separate him from her until I am sure she's either not bred, or lambs? Do I need to keep her away from the nubian doe and her kid?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Janet

 

[purplequeenvt]

First off !

When did you get these sheep and how old are they? How long has the ewe been with the ram? You can feel or look for an udder, but some sheep don't develop one until right before lambing. I would guess that the scratches and loose wool are from scratching herself. She could have lice.

He is probably fine in with her, but keep a close eye on them and make sure he isn't shoving her around. Same with the goats. I don't see why they would be an issue. I have a couple goats on with my Shetlands (and Border Leicesters).

Keep us posted and be sure to post some pictures! We all love pictures!