# What time of year do you breed sheep?



## big brown horse

Just wondering what time of year sheep are normally bred?  How long is the typical gestation period?


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## Beekissed

Hey, BBH!  I was just going to ask this question and saw your thread.  I'm always curious as to when folks breed and why they choose that particular time.

I know some folks do breed to have available lambs for certain religious and ethnic holidays, as this brings higher sale prices.

I will be breeding in December, as the typical gestation is around 5 months.  I would like my lambs near the end of March, first of April or thereabouts.  I don't want my girl's first lambs to be born when it's too cold and I also want plenty of new spring grass to be growing to help with flushing.  

Since mine are always on pasture, they are introduced to the new grass gradually as it grows in, so I don't have to worry as much about tetany or bloat as folks who do the feedlot all winter and then turn them out to pasture.  I'll still offer hay, of course, for the transition, but I still want them to have the higher nutritive grass available for the birthing and nursing time.

I'm always puzzled by the folks who have lambs in Jan. and Feb.  The coldest, most damp times of the year and folks are dropping lambs and calves.  I've read that the lambs and calves born later benefit enough from the availability of good grazing(richer milk) that they actually catch up to the ones born earlier, in size and weight.  

It would be interesting to do an experiment and see if this is so.


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## KareyABohr

People calf and lamb in Feb. because of the fairs. My friend raises "club lambs" and they have to be born then in order to be competitive for the county and State Fair.

Not this chick! We calf, kid, and lamb in late March early April.


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## justusnak

The lady I got my sheep from told me they SHOULD be in season, around November...and lamb in April. Since I only have the 3 ewes, ( only 2 will be bred) and one ram, they all run together full time. Im not sure if Sonny boy will be able to "do the deed" this fall. He was born in April of 09....so, will only be 7 months old dureing breeding time.  I know he already has the "hots" for April...who wants Nothing to do with him...for now.


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## Beekissed

Just, 7 mo. old is old enough to do the deed!    Actually, my girls will be breeding age....well.... this month!  I don't know about sheep having a season...I know Katahdins can be bred up to three times in two years, as they do not have a breeding season, per se.  

I won't be doing this, of course.  One time per year is good enough for me to make the profit I desire.


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## justusnak

I have postmarked this website... http://www.sheep101.info/201/ramrepro.html
There is GREAT info on here about all things concerning sheep. I have a feeling I will be able to have a nice little flock next spring!


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## Beekissed

I already have that one in my faves file, Just!  Great minds think alike.... 

Here's a few you might enjoy also:

http://www.sheep101.info/201/feedinglambs.html

An alternative de-wormer site~_wonderful_ info on this! 


http://www.abdn.ac.uk/organic/organic_14c.php

A cool site full of info on natural and pasture raised sheep:  


http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/Feeds.html

And, of course:

http://www.sheepmagazine.com/


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## Run-A-Muck Ranch

a sheeps gestation period is roughly 145-150 days...almost 5 months. 
We have a barn with lambing jugs set up so we can lamb in Feb. 
We also have a few girls that prefer to lamb in April-May outside. So we just kind of let nature take it's course.
The ram is with the girls from Jan-Sept. Then we separate him and bring him back with the girls around October(beginning to mid). That way we get the Feb-March babies. He stays in the pen with the girls until about end of Nov-beginning of Dec. Then again goes with the girls in Jan. which give us the April-May babies. 

Ram...............
jan... breeding
stays in with girls from jan-sept
give april-may babies
then separated
oct. breeding
stays with girls oct-nov/dec
gives feb-march babies

and just keep repeating the cycle.

we have 2 rams, 1 weather, and about 20+ ewes. 

our weather is used  as a teaser once in awhile. we let him in the pen a few days early to help the girls go into 'heat' 'breeding stage'. then bring the rams in.

does that make sense?!?!?! sometimes I confuse myself when I try to explain things....lol


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## jenn

We just got 2 ewes that have been with a ram all year(till about 3 weeks ago). We think they are both preg. They both have udders and its hard to tell what they look like because they have a years worth of wool on them. We are getting them sheered this Sunday. My question is a hard one, do you think they are preg and when do you think they will lamb?? I know the 5 month thing but I have no way of guessing when they got preg if they are and can the size of their udders give you a rough estimate????


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## Run-A-Muck Ranch

jenn said:
			
		

> We just got 2 ewes that have been with a ram all year(till about 3 weeks ago). We think they are both preg. They both have udders and its hard to tell what they look like because they have a years worth of wool on them. We are getting them sheered this Sunday. My question is a hard one, do you think they are preg and when do you think they will lamb?? I know the 5 month thing but I have no way of guessing when they got preg if they are and can the size of their udders give you a rough estimate????


Are you shearing them yourself?? Or having a professional do it???
I know the first time we had ours professionally done he went through and checked each ewe over. He was 100% correct on which ones were prego and which ones were in heat. He was a little off on due dates (by about 3 weeks), but he was still a wonderful help for us. 
Watch the area right above, around, and under the tail....changes mean lambing soon...(or at least with our girls it does). We have never had to help a ewe lamb until this year. We had one who went down during lambing...Sadly we lost her and her triplets, but otherwise 100% of the girls lambed on there own.
The utter size can help alot, but if they have lambed in years past, it might not be as easy to tell.....
I know, probably not much help....I'm no expert on sheep, I just know what seems to have worked for us in the past....

Good luck and can't wait to see pictures.


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## jenn

Thanks Run, and yes we are having them professionally sheered. I am a bit worried about Freckles, she is the one that we think is the furthest along, this morning she wouldn't eat. Usually when I get in the pen and they hear the food being pored they are just a talking and pacing. Well the weather and the other ewe ate and Freckles just watched and then she got a mouth full and barley chewed and some if it just fell back out of her mouth and then went outside and let them eat theirs and hers. She usually is in there just a pushing around the weather for his food plus hers! Should I be worried? I have read somewhere that they sometimes do that right before lambing.  We are not ready for that!!

Thanks for all your help!!


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## Run-A-Muck Ranch

jenn said:
			
		

> Thanks Run, and yes we are having them professionally sheered. I am a bit worried about Freckles, she is the one that we think is the furthest along, this morning she wouldn't eat. Usually when I get in the pen and they hear the food being pored they are just a talking and pacing. Well the weather and the other ewe ate and Freckles just watched and then she got a mouth full and barley chewed and some if it just fell back out of her mouth and then went outside and let them eat theirs and hers. She usually is in there just a pushing around the weather for his food plus hers! Should I be worried? I have read somewhere that they sometimes do that right before lambing.  We are not ready for that!!
> 
> Thanks for all your help!!


I would definately watch her closely.....
I have had ewes do both just before lambing...I have seen them completely pass food and treats up, and yet the next one would eat her share and then another girls food...
Sometimes I think it just depends on the ewe.....
but yes I would definately watch her....
How long have you had them??? I could also be 'shipping stress', if you just recently got them.
good luck


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## jenn

Thanks Run-

We got the first ewe 3 weeks ago and the one that is not eating we got 1 week ago. She ate tonight.  We cleaned out the pen that they share just in-case we get a surprise.  

I have a weather sheep and a weather goat that roam with the two ewes during the day should I remove them from the ewes anytime soon?? The goat has his own pen that he sleeps and gets fed in but the 3 sheep share their own pen at night. 

Thanks again for all your information!!! You have been wonderful to this newbie!! 

I feel like this is my first child again. I am soooooo nervous!!!  I don't want anything to go wrong. The only good thing is that these ewe's have lambed before.  At least they know what they are doing!!


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## jenn

Well there is an update on the sheep. The guy came out tonight to sheer and let us know what we suspected was true. Freckles is due roughly in about a week maybe 2 and Maggie is due in 2 maybe 3 weeks.  Sooner that I wanted but at least we now have a rough estimate.

Has anyone noticed your sheep acting funny after sheering?? I have never heard them talk to much since we got them!!! The weather is really jumpy!!!!!!! 

Well gonna get a lambing pen built sooner that we thought.


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## Beekissed

I don't know about sheep but my boys always acted more ornery and active after hair cuts!    We used to joke about it....maybe it's the same for sheep?


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## Run-A-Muck Ranch

jenn said:
			
		

> Well there is an update on the sheep. The guy came out tonight to sheer and let us know what we suspected was true. Freckles is due roughly in about a week maybe 2 and Maggie is due in 2 maybe 3 weeks.  Sooner that I wanted but at least we now have a rough estimate.
> 
> Has anyone noticed your sheep acting funny after sheering?? I have never heard them talk to much since we got them!!! The weather is really jumpy!!!!!!!
> 
> Well gonna get a lambing pen built sooner that we thought.


Can't wait to see those baby pictures SOON!!!!!!!

I know when we had our sheep sheared they definately acted different. The 'boys' were almost embarrassed....Or that's how they acted...Our girls weren't real different....maybe a little more chatty...but other than that they seemed normal....


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## Beekissed

How soon after lambing do you all breed back?  What is the recommended wait time?


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