# A trick to know if a doe is bred if you don't observe the breeding



## OneFineAcre (Feb 8, 2013)

I see a lot of people on this site who don't know for sure if a doe has been bred if they don't observe the breeding.

When we breed we usually put a buck in a pen with the group of does we want him to breed and leave together for a couple of months.  Ideally, we will observe the breeding or know when they come into heat.

One trick we do is to get some red carpenter's chalk like you would put in a chalk box to pop a line on a piece of wood or sheet rock to cut.  We will douse the bucks stomach and chest with it.  

Then, if he has mounted her we will see red chalk on her back


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## SheepGirl (Feb 8, 2013)

I do the same thing, except I use a marking harness. My ram stays with the ewes 24/7. He will be separated this weekend, though. You can get it for about $20-$30 at a feed store, plus at least two different colored crayons for $3-$5 each.

I HIGHLY recommend having some sort of marking harness/paint/chalk on the ram or buck you breed with. No worries about missing heats, unknown breeding dates, etc. 

My ram sporting his marking harness. 17 days later the color changed to green, 17 days after that the color changed to blue. (17 days = length of heat cycle...colors are changed every heat cycle so you know if a ewe/doe is rebred)






My ewe with a red mark on her butt. She was bred Oct. 13 and she will be due March 5 (day 143) to March 9 (day 147). She went at day 143 last year so I'm hoping it's the same again this year.


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 8, 2013)

That's where I got the idea from.  I had some chalk for my chalk box and said "hey, this will work too..."


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## goatboy1973 (Mar 9, 2013)

All good ideas, especially the changing of the colors on the harness.


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