day 154 STILL no lamb *but* her sister finally lambed (pics: post #13)

[patandchickens]

What do you think?

This is Hope, 15 months old, first freshener obviously, Dorset X British Milksheep, today is day 149 since the ram marked her. The pink mark on the mid-back of the udder is where I slightly buttonholed her when crutching the other week, oops.

This is her sister Peace, same age and breed, today is day 142 since the ram marked her. She is my little Peacie-pie friend so unlike Hope she was willing to stand still for a close up of her hoo-ha, the second pic.

Those are the two I mainly care about. But since I am posting pics, here is also as good a shot I can get of the weird little shetland ewe, 3 yrs old and has lambed before, but I never saw any mark on her nor saw her in heat so if she was bred at all I could not tell you when it would have been, presumably later than Hope or Peace were (ram was only removed a couple weeks ago). Could not get hoo-ha pic but it seems substantially less puffy/saggy than the other two's.

And while I'm at it, here is where they are living right now, it is their summer night-yard and winter full-time quarters, about 30x80' (half of which is behind me and thus out of pic). Well actually in winter they have access to the adjacent ram paddock too, not shown.

So am I just imagining that they are pregnant?? I am getting rather frustrating checking all the time for nonexistant lambs. Am beginning to suspect that either they are not pregnant, or that sheep do not actually produce lambs at all, lambs are manufactured in a factory in Taiwan, shipped flat-packed to North America and inflated by the end user.

Thanks for any opinions,

Pat

 

[Bossroo]

Yup, yup, and yup... those kinky party woolies just didn't read, understand and follow the rules when they attended the social comming out party at the lower 40. You know, drink till you drop, then wake up with a headache and wonder what happend? They even broke the curfew rules and stayed out all night , and then some. Those party animals !!! Now, tell them to shop for blue and/or pink booties, take a la'mase class and reserve a room in the stable.

 

[patandchickens]

Bossroo, you very silly sometimes LOL

But thank you for weighing in, and hopefully you're right. Unless one of those "yups" was actually for my conspiracy theory that there is no such thing a lambing!

Pat

 

[Bossroo]

Well then, Pat... just go out to the pasture and perform the moon dance in your birthday suit at midnight of the full moon. Works every time !

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Y'all are funny. I especially like the part about lambs being manufactured in Taiwan. I'd say yup, yup, and yup as well. The first girl has quite a nice udder going on. Probably won't be much longer!

 

[puredelite]

Those first two do look like they are bagging out, some ewes show a little more than other's. Also, looks like their "Hoo-ha's"(?) are getting ready for the day as well. Some ewes also don't always watch the calendar so don't deliver right on the 150 day mark. It is so hard to be patient isn't it?

 

[boothcreek]

It IS hard to be patient! Try not knowing at all about when the birthdate is, then its a whole new game. My Rams has been with the ewes since sept, never even seen one decend heat or breeding......... so I diligently watch udders now! One lambed in Feb and the other girls look like nothin yet....... I know they are preggers, I see their tummies jump sometimes just when THE day is I do not know.

 

[patandchickens]

I'm sorry to keep bothering you. But Hope (the first one pictured in the original post, the one with the biggest udder) is now day 152 and nothing happening.

Could experienced sheep people please take one more look and tell me if it seems possible that she could have the large udder purely 'cuz she is a dairy-type sheep, without actually being pregnant? And HOW diagnostic of pregnancy is the puffy-saggy vulva (hers looks basically identical to Peace's, the third pic in the original post)?

Am I shovelling grain into them and going out to check them every night for nothing??

At what date overdue do I either call the vet (if you are CONVINCED she's pregnant) or just say the heck with it and conclude she is merely fat woolly saggy and greedy rather than actually in lamb?

(I am quite sure of the dates, she was marked Nov 1 and then not at all during the next color of crayon)

Aaargh,

Pat

 

[boykin2010]

She really looks pregnant to me. I have only been into sheep for about 3 months now but that is EXACTLY how one of my ewes looked when i got tired of waiting on her to have a baby. The next morning she had a HUGE single male. I think sometimes when they have larger lambs it may take longer for them to to actually have it. My opinion is she is very close. Dont give up on her. Also was your ram experienced?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

She's definitely bred. She's a first timer, so she wouldn't have any udder at all if she were open. It's common for first timers to go later vs. earlier. I wouldn't worry. Day 155 is still pretty common.