# When is my 4 month old Katahdin most likely to breed the ladies?



## HappyPalace (Aug 22, 2013)

We have a 4 month old Katahdin ram bought to breed our year old Barbados Blackbelly and Katahdin ewes.  He's been trying to mount the Barbados for 2-3 weeks.  We've never seen him try to mount the Katahdin.  My daughter thinks the Katahdin is getting fat and developing an udder.  She's just sure he's breed her already.  I don't think he's tall enough yet to mount her. 

When is he most likely to be fertile and tall enough to breed them?  The Katahdin has always mothered him (he's a bottle baby) and gets very distressed if we separate them.

I'm asking because my daughter is completely paranoid!!


----------



## bcnewe2 (Aug 23, 2013)

Well if you just bought him a few weeks ago then you kat ewe wouldn't be showing yet.  He is about the right age to start thinking about it, hence his mounting but I've never had a ram actually breed till about the age of 6 months. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen but I haven't seen it.

It could be your barbs are showing signs of being in estrus. The smells are enough to make you little guy try. But I think logistically size wise it's a bit early.

If you want to know exactly when you need to keep him separate till at least 6 months then put him in for a certain period of time, say 2 months which for hair sheep should be 2 breeding cycles then take him back out. That would give you a good window of knowing when your lambs would be due.

And depending on size I've seen rams ready for duty at 6 months and rams lambs that weren't big enough or manly enough to do the deed at that age.

one more thing, just because the kat ewe mothers him doesn't mean they won't breed when he's ready!


----------



## Four Winds Ranch (Aug 23, 2013)

I agree with bcnewe2!!!
Good advice!


----------



## HappyPalace (Aug 23, 2013)

Thanks bcnewe2!  

I keep telling my daughter he's too young/small.  I think the Kat ewe is just fat!!  

I know he'll breed her when the time comes & I'm looking forward to some pretty lambs.  He's got lots of color.


----------



## SheepGirl (Aug 23, 2013)

He is awfully small for a 4 month old! Are you sure thats his age? Be careful with breeding him...he may give you small lambs which wobt be desireable as market animals.


----------



## bcnewe2 (Aug 23, 2013)

He looks way to small to be getting the job done.  
I had lambs in late December that were huge by 4 months. Lambed again in May and those lambs are not growing near as nice as the December lambs.  Great rains all summer and nice pastures.  I've got more than a few friends with the same issues. We figure its got something to do with all the rain.  We're lambing again and these new lambs look large and seem to be growing nicely again.  Rains finally quit.
Long story short, depending on where your ram came from he could be a small 4 month old but sheepgirl is right, he looks a bit small, healthy tho.
Going by his size I'll bet he isn't ready to breed for a couple months.  
Nice color!


----------



## Trigoat&pbrlover (Aug 23, 2013)

I thought it was a pic of him when he was a  young lamb 

But I don't really know anything about sheep.


----------



## boykin2010 (Aug 23, 2013)

Is that a recent photo?  If so, I really do not think he is 4 months old...  He looks really young in that photo and definitely not breeding age


----------



## Beekissed (Aug 24, 2013)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> He is awfully small for a 4 month old! Are you sure thats his age? Be careful with breeding him...he may give you small lambs which wobt be desireable as market animals.


I agree!!!  Way too small for 4 mo. old and really not holding much meat on him, even at that age.  Sure is pretty coloring but not sure I'd use him for breeding unless color is the desired goal, and not size and thrift.


----------



## woodsie (Aug 24, 2013)

Just thought this might pic might help with comparison. The ram in the background is a full-size Katahdin ram and the lambs in front of him are just over 3 months old Dorper/St Croix crosses that I would say are a smaller breed than the Katahdin...at least my Katahdin crosses (out of that ram are on track to outpace the dorper/St Croixs but are younger).






I would say my 3 month olds are getting close to big enough to do the job and need to get them seperated asap, I see pee sniffing and lip rolling and they are at least 3/4 as tall as the moms.

He is a pretty colour...I have a eweling with the same colours and she's a beauty...she's bigger than yours in the pic (or so it appears, pics can sometimes be distorted however) and she's 2 months old.


----------



## HappyPalace (Aug 24, 2013)

Gosh, Woodsie, those sheep are gorgeous!!

I'm sorry, I didn't specify that is an older picture of Joshua - I just wanted to show his pretty colors.  We got him at about a month old and that picture was taken within the first month we had him - so about 2 months old.  His manly parts are developing quite nicely , but I didn't have a recent pic on-line that I could post.  

I understood that he had to be at least 6 months old to breed the girls, so we figured an April baby would do the job in the fall and we'll have early spring lambs.  We're planning to eat any males ourselves and sell the young ewes when they're weaned.  I would like to keep one male as a wether companion for Joshie.


----------

