# Ewe cycles; when do they cease?



## NachoFarm (Nov 1, 2012)

This time of year I start to wonder what we've gotten ourselves into with this whole farming thing.  :/

Ok so long story in point;
-bought and brought ram home last Saturday to breed our three ewes
-decided on Monday that we didn't have enough on our plate so I drove to a local farm to borrow their buck for our does
-put buck and does in stall, ram and sheep on pasture
-buck breaks down walls and doors and escapes to fight with ram, I chase them both around the field with a stick and a skipping rope, no video available
-people we borrow the buck from call and want to borrow our ram for six weeks, I agree just to get one male out of our hair
-I also have four kids, two dogs, two cats and seven chickens, am I out of my mind?

So, since the ram had only been here six days the chance that he bred all our ewes, questionable at best?

We're going to get him back the first or second week of December, if our ewes weren't bred in the past six days will they still be cycling that late in the season?

What is the latest breeding date that we can expect from seasonal breeders?


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## SheepGirl (Nov 1, 2012)

If your ewes didn't breed the past six days, then yes, they will more than likely continue to come into heat until December when the ram comes back in.


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## NachoFarm (Nov 1, 2012)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> If your ewes didn't breed the past six days, then yes, they will more than likely continue to come into heat until December when the ram comes back in.


When do they typically stop cycling if they're not bred?


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## BrownSheep (Nov 1, 2012)

We've had lambs born in September which puts breeding sometime in May. This was out of a suffolk ewe. As long as you a) have seasonal breeders and b) it stays fairly cool out I would say your good till March/April.


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## aggieterpkatie (Nov 2, 2012)

I've bred a ewe as late as January, and had early June lambs.  I won't do it again, it's way too hot for the preggo ewe, and hard on the lambs.  We have very hot summers though, so depending on where you are that's something to consider.  How many ewes do you have? Would you be able to send your ewes along with the ram, that way yours get bred earlier?


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## NachoFarm (Nov 2, 2012)

We're in Southern Ontario so it's winter here for 10 months and sweltering heat for 2 months.  

If he comes back the second week of December that would give us middle of May lambs and it usually snows up until the end of April around here so I'm pretty sure that won't be an issue.  Transporting them would be an option but I hate to cause them all that stress.  On a brighter note, one of our does was definitely bred today so at least all this hassle wasn't for nothing!

One of our ewes is a ewe lamb so I think it would be best that she's bred a little later in the year anyways, and if he didn't breed our other two then maybe his presence for the week set off some extra ovulation!  From what I've read at least...


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## Southdown (Nov 3, 2012)

I read that ewes will cycle every 17 days.  I just put my ram in with two girls today and he was ready, but the girls have no interest in him.  I guess they are not in "heat" right now or else they will stand still for him.  Like any ram, he likes to nudge them on their sides, but the girls keep running away from him.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

x2 I also agree that as long as it's cool outside, you could breed all the way to March.


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## Cornish Heritage (Nov 6, 2012)

> -buck breaks down walls and doors and escapes to fight with ram, I chase them both around the field with a stick and a skipping rope, no video available


LOL! No video needed - I can just picture it in my mind! Tee Hee!

Liz


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## bonbean01 (Nov 7, 2012)

LOL....yeah no video...have visuals, but would have loved the video I'm sure 

No idea about breeding cycles except hair sheep who are non-seasonal...so they say...we get super hot summers and no one is in the mood...ram probably isn't fertile when it's that hot anyways.  All our lambs arrive in January without fail.

Where in South Ontario?  My son lives in London, Ont and I believe Royd Wood is near Niagra...perhaps we can have a southern Ontario herdstock one day?  ...... yeah right....like I'm ever going to go anywhere with our crew of critters here and me an incubating eggs fool 

As for what have you gotten yourself into to?  Well...a super busy and wonderful lifestyle

And what better way to keep in shape than running after critters with a stick and a skipping rope?


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