# breeding didnt go so great today! Questions!



## boykin2010 (Aug 31, 2011)

I butchered two of my ram lambs to open the pen i wanted to place my two small ewe lambs in. ( i have talked about them on another thread. ) 
It took me forever to catch the ewe lambs and transport them to the seperate area. Then they run right through 5 strand polywire fencing. The fence was hot but nothing could seperate them from their mother. Now i am out of options. My ram is already turned out, so there is no going back. Now all i hope is that they are big enough to breed and lamb sucessfully. I dont want to put them in any danger but i am out of options. 
What is the earliest a hair sheep lamb can get pregnant? 
What are the requirements yall use to decide which lambs are too small to breed? 
The ewe lambs i am talking about are close to 70 pounds and kind of on the bony side. This is due to them being part barbados sheep. They arent as large as my Katahdins


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## boykin2010 (Aug 31, 2011)

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13018

This is the link to the other thread i talked about the twins


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Aug 31, 2011)

Considering they are younger there is a chance you will get a heat or two w/o them being bred. Especially if there are older more experienced does in w/ the ram.  We've sometimes had to hold a younger doe/ewe for the first breeding so they figured out that he wasn't chasing them to kill them  L.   

Best of luck with them and keep us posted on how it is going.


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## boykin2010 (Sep 1, 2011)

Ok, I have found 2 more question to ask. It seems that the only ewe my ram is interested in is the ewe that has had her rams weaned from her months ago. Will the ewe that had the small twins i was talking about get pregnant even if she is still producing a little milk for the ewe lambs? I have searched the internet trying to find out if ewes can get pregnant even if they still have lambs that lightly nursing. I couldnt find an answer. 
Also how do you know when an ewe is in heat? Will she just stand still for the ram?


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 1, 2011)

There's no other way you can contain the ewe lambs?  Is there a barn or something?  How long will you be keeping your ram in with your ewes?  One option is to keep them all together, and then when you separate the ram give the ewe lambs lutalyse to abort them (if they did settle).  Not ideal, but if you really don't want them to lamb it will work.  

Yes, ewes can still get bred if they're lactating.  You'll know they're in heat because the ewes will stand for the ram. You may also see some discharge from the vulva, and they may be slightly more vocal.


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## SheepGirl (Sep 1, 2011)

How much Barbados blood is in them? Barbados ewes are generally only 75-95 lbs, so if they're half Barbados, then I'd say they're good. A Katahdin ewe's weight is anywhere from 130 to 180 (usually). Weigh their mother to see if she is 110 lbs...I would say it's safe to breed them...if she's heavier than that (more than likely she is), I would try to catch the ewe lambs again and put them in a secure pen.

Part of the reason they might have escaped is because 1) they were away from their mother and 2) they were in a new, unfamiliar location (even though it is still on your farm). My neighbor (who has been raising sheep for 70+ years) has always "weaned the ewes from the lambs" not "wean the lambs from the ewes." Basically that means moving the ewes to a new area and leaving the lambs in the old, familiar area so weaning is not as stressful on them.

Yes, ewes will get pregnant even when they are lactating. Romanovs are an extremely prolific breed--they are capable of breeding one month after they've lambed (thus producing one lamb crop every six months)--plus they have three or four (or more!) lambs at a time! Yes your sheep aren't Romanovs, but they're still sheep, so it very well could be possible.

Ewes are very secretive and personal when they come into heat--they're not like cows and sows where they make the fact they want to breed known to everyone (such as mounting other cows and sows). Basically the only way you know you have a ewe in heat is if a ram is with them--the ram will obviously breed a ewe in heat, but he will also sniff her pee to detect if she's in heat, and he will follow her around everywhere bleating in a very low tone. I have found my ewes like to breed in the corner of the barn away from everybody...some ewes aren't as picky about where they breed and they will breed anywhere. If a ewe is NOT in heat, she will not tolerate the ram's "advances" on her and she will run away from him hoping he will find a new ewe to be interested in.


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## TheSheepGirl (Sep 1, 2011)

It has become a common trend throughout the years to breed ewes in their first season. They will be more than large enough to lamb 5 months from now when lambing time actually happens. You should have no problems letting them breed and produce offspring.

Aborting them can sometimes cause more problems than just allowing them to lamb. They are made to produce lambs young so no worries about abortions and such.


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