# Can a wether sheep still be fertile a month after being casterated?



## Littlegraysheep (Mar 30, 2016)

Before anyone says no I thought it couldn't happen either, but now I'm questioning what's happening with my sheep.
Let me start off at the beginning when I bought the wether.
I bought a 7 month old Romney wether in October. When I got him they had just banded him the week before (and I double checked because I've had problems with rams not being banded correctly before. I also want to say I did not band this wether.) I kept him in a quarantine pen for a month and they fell off during that time. The first week of December I put the wether in a separate pen with the lamb ewes so that the ram could be with the older ewes. I saw the wether jump the lamb ewes and didn't think much of it.
Fast forward to a month away from lambing and one of the lamb ewes looks to have an udder (same age as the wether, also a Romney). Of course it's the smallest ewe who will most likely have problems, but I'm hoping nothing will happen. I did check the wether again and he positively a wether.  
I know with rabbits if you get the male fixed after puberty they are still fertile for a couple months. Is it possibly the same with sheep? Anyone experience something similar?


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## Mini Horses (Mar 30, 2016)

Were BOTH testes within the scrotal sac, in their entirety, below the band?    That would be my first thought.


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## samssimonsays (Mar 30, 2016)

x2 . I know someone who bought a goat wether but turned out he had one retained testicle that hadn't dropped making him not a wether. 


Mini Horses said:


> Were BOTH testes within the scrotal sac, in their entirety, below the band?    That would be my first thought.


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## purplequeenvt (Mar 30, 2016)

x2 what Mini Horses said. My guess is, if he really did breed one of the girls, that one testicle was missed OR the band wasn't put on properly and left enough testicle behind to still keep him fertile. I had almost year old rams banded by the vet recently and he said to keep them away from the girls for a couple weeks.

Did the lambs share a fence line with the ram at any point? That could be another explanation. I've had sheep breed through fences before.


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## Latestarter (Mar 30, 2016)

And while you're considering all the above info; Allow me to say Greetings and welcome to BYH!  Glad you decided to join us despite the reason behind it  I hope they are not bred,   but from what you're describing... well... Lets just hope.  Could, you share a few pics of them? We're all pic addicts here.


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## Littlegraysheep (Mar 30, 2016)

No I've checked multiple times thinking what all of you are thinking, but they are both gone.  There was a section of fence that they shared but the ewe lamb who I'm having second thoughts on, but she was never up against it. She was a bottle baby (another reason I'm hoping she is not bred) and was always pressed up against the


 fence trying to get to people. Cute and annoy at the same time. She stood there for most of the time the ram was there. I think the only time she moved was when there a person at another part of the fence she could get closer to.


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## Littlegraysheep (Mar 30, 2016)

The wether is the one on the hay bale. The white ewe I know is pregnant. And the ewe lamb in question has her face in the bale. A side note of the white ewe is she has always had twins so she looks huge and the ewe lamb was a single.


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## Littlegraysheep (Apr 24, 2016)

I go out to feed today thinking lamb watch started tomorrow for the known bred ewes (tomorrow is 142 days since the ram came) and the ewe lamb had a ram lamb (cute little recessive light blue guy). Thank goodness no problems I come out and he's just sitting next to the hay bale all dry, getting licked by all the sheep and the jersey heifer. When I left them in the lamb pen together the ewe thought that the lamb was a pillow and was resting her head on him lol.


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## Littlegraysheep (Apr 24, 2016)

I love his face. Such big eye brows.


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## secuono (Apr 24, 2016)

Horses will be fertile a month to 6wks after the testicles are removed. Humans can take 1-2mo. Don't see why other male animals aren't similar.


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## Latestarter (Apr 24, 2016)

So Is that the ewe you were hoping/thinking wasn't bred that had the ram lamb? He is a cutie.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 24, 2016)

Yes, they can still be fertile for 6 weeks. "In the piping still" so to speak.


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