# Lambs ANY day!! How close is she?



## TulipAcres (Dec 18, 2021)

We are new to lambing, though our two ewes are not. Rue, this brown ewe, I suspect will go first. I’ve had an eye on her for a while. How close do you think she is? Days? Weeks? Christmas lambs?!!


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## TulipAcres (Dec 20, 2021)

Sharing an update…

Both these ewes are looking puffy. I believe my white ewe has a couple more weeks. But figured I’d share photos in case anyone else is searching through for more info. These are from yesterday. 

I can’t decide if my white ewe, Clover, looks to have a single or twins.


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## Alaskan (Dec 21, 2021)

Great photos!

Wonderful looking sheep, what kind are they?

I am never good at guessing due dates.

@Baymule would you care to guess?


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## TulipAcres (Dec 22, 2021)

TulipAcres said:


> Sharing an update…
> 
> Both these ewes are looking puffy. I believe my white ewe has a couple more weeks. But figured I’d share photos in case anyone else is searching through for more info. These are from yesterday.
> 
> I can’t decide if my white ewe, Clover, looks to have a single or twins.





Alaskan said:


> Great photos!
> 
> Wonderful looking sheep, what kind are they?
> 
> ...


Thank you!

Still no lambs. 
These are full katahdin hair sheep. We raise for meat in our backyard.


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## TulipAcres (Dec 22, 2021)

Still no signs of labor. Now she looks less bagged up than before 🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️


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## Baymule (Dec 22, 2021)

They will make you crazy. I raise Katahdins. I have commercial sheep, plus a registered ram. Finally got 3 registered ewes, I really want a registered ram out of Ringo, to carry on his bloodlines. 

I have a ewe, Miranda Lambert, who bags up like a top champion milk goat. Looks like a basketball squeezed between her back legs! And she will look like that for WEEKS!!  Her daughters bag up, but not like their momma!

Mine bag up, then their bellies drop. When that happens, it is usually not too far off. I'd say yours may have another 1- 2 months to go. I could certainly be wrong, but going by mine, that would be my guess. Any sooner, take it as a nice surprise. Any later, I suspect you will have pulled all your hair out! 

The white one reminds me of my ewe, Ewenique. She never gets a big wide belly. She never gets a huge bag. But when birth is coming soon, her belly drops. 

Lambs are adorable. Name the girls, name the boys Dinner. LOL LOL


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## TulipAcres (Dec 23, 2021)

We do plan to name the ewe lambs. And for any ram lambs we will call then Taco and Nacho or some other food name. (They are delicious!) 
The earliest I expect my white ewe, Clover, to go is January 1st. That’s dated from when I saw our ram doing the courting stuff (I never saw any of them breed).
Rue, the brown one, we just don’t know because we got her later in the summer and she was running with rams the whole time. We are hoping she lambs before February because then for sure those lambs would have different ram genetics than Clovers. She isn’t as long as Clover so I think that’s part of why she is so wide.

I’m still checking on them three or four times a day to see if there are any signs of real labor. 
I sure hope it’s not another month!!!


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## Baymule (Dec 23, 2021)

My first ewes were bred. They gave me a 3 month spread! Drove me nuts.


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## TulipAcres (Dec 23, 2021)

Baymule said:


> My first ewes were bred. They gave me a 3 month spread! Drove me nuts.


I have such a small “herd” it really is hard to make space to separate out a ram or two. But I’ll try this coming season for sure.


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## Ridgetop (Dec 24, 2021)

We use a marking harness but sometimes ewes don't mark and are bred, or mark and are not settled.  At least it gives a couple days spread.  if they don't lamb on the estimated due date we figure another 2 weeks since their cycles are usually 14-18 days apart.  Much easier.

However, guessing how soon or how many by the size of the ewe or her bag isn't specific.  I have had enormous ewes deliver a tiny single lamb.  I have had skinny little ewes deliver huge twins.  I have had ewes (and dairy does) that bagged a month ahead and sje that only come into their milk after delivery.  

Like Bay says, their goal in life is to make you crazy.  And no matter how large your flock grows you never get tired of newborn lambs!


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## TulipAcres (Dec 24, 2021)

Ridgetop said:


> We use a marking harness but sometimes ewes don't mark and are bred, or mark and are not settled.  At least it gives a couple days spread.  if they don't lamb on the estimated due date we figure another 2 weeks since their cycles are usually 14-18 days apart.  Much easier.
> 
> However, guessing how soon or how many by the size of the ewe or her bag isn't specific.  I have had enormous ewes deliver a tiny single lamb.  I have had skinny little ewes deliver huge twins.  I have had ewes (and dairy does) that bagged a month ahead and sje that only come into their milk after delivery.
> 
> Like Bay says, their goal in life is to make you crazy.  And no matter how large your flock grows you never get tired of newborn lambs!


They are definitely driving me crazy!!! Mostly because I just can’t wait for the cuteness. But also because I’m pregnant too. And I just need there to be babies somewhere!!!


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## Alaskan (Dec 24, 2021)

TulipAcres said:


> They are definitely driving me crazy!!! Mostly because I just can’t wait for the cuteness. But also because I’m pregnant too. And I just need there to be babies somewhere!!!


Congrats!

When is your due date?


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## TulipAcres (Dec 24, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> Congrats!
> 
> When is your due date?


Not until June. This will be my third natural birth so I’m really rooting these ewes on haha


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## Show Sebright (Dec 27, 2021)

Well while your waiting for lambs I’m waiting for goat. Any day now mocha.


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## Alaskan (Dec 27, 2021)

Show Sebright said:


> Well while your waiting for lambs I’m waiting for goat. Any day now mocha.


Mocha?

That goat is black!   

How did she get the name?


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## Show Sebright (Dec 27, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> Mocha?
> 
> That goat is black!
> 
> How did she get the name?


Well her original name from the breeder was May. And we wanted to keep the M. So it is now Mocha.


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## TulipAcres (Dec 30, 2021)

Show Sebright said:


> Well while your waiting for lambs I’m waiting for goat. Any day now mocha.


I’m still waiting 🤦🏽‍♀️


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## Show Sebright (Dec 30, 2021)

TulipAcres said:


> I’m still waiting 🤦🏽‍♀️


Same!!! New Years babies please….


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## Ridgetop (Dec 30, 2021)

Here are 2 White Dorper ewes that are due soon.  

This ewe was born on January 22, 2017.  5 years old in 3 weeks.  This is her 5th lambing.  I accidently gave her a break this year by forgetting to put her in the breeding pen at the right time so she is lambing several months later than she should.  
The ewe below was born on March 25, 2017.  5 years old in 3 months.  Again, 5th lambing.  Again, I accidently gave her a break by forgetting to put her in the breeding pen - same situation as with ewe above.  

These are my 2 oldest purebred White Dorper ewes.  They are good girls, easy breeders and easy lambers producing good size lambs.  Both ewes are in good condition, without any grain supplements.  They both twinned last lambing.  Normally they will lamb every 8-9 months (when I make sure to put them in with the ram LOL) alternating singles and twins.  This gives me an average of 3 lambs every year.  This year due to my own faulty record keeping, I forgot they were supposed to go in with the ram in May/June.  Went out of town for a month on business and thought they were bred.  Looked at the white board with the breeding schedules when I returned and realized they were not bred.  Put them in with the ram late and they should lamb any time.  Benefit of a marking harness - definite lambing dates.  
The one on the bottom (without the mohawk) makes me uncomfortable just looking at her!  
Any guesses on when they are due and how many?


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## hoovesgalore (Dec 31, 2021)

how many do you think they have?


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## TulipAcres (Jan 1, 2022)

Still no lambs. Still puffy. Still filling udders out. 

Now, the white ewe, Clover, my guess is only carrying a single. This was our first year with grass fed sheep and I’m not sure she has had access to the most beneficial pasture. So I don’t think she had the right nutrition for fertility.


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## Baymule (Jan 1, 2022)

Get a side view. Some ewes don’t spread out much, but their belly drops. 

If you don’t have good pasture, you have to supplement with feed. 

A few days before delivery the top of their hindquarters, on either side of the spine, gets real soft and sunken in. 

You are guessing correct, nutrition affects fertility. Before breeding sheep, it is customary to move them to better pasture, feed them a balanced feed, increasing nutrition. It’s called flushing the ewes. I don’t know what the word flushing has to do with sheep nutrition, but that’s what it’s called.


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## Show Sebright (Jan 3, 2022)

Ha the guy with the buck said she will be due in February 7. She is not going to make it. Our due date is tomorrow.


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## Finnie (Jan 8, 2022)

Show Sebright said:


> Ha the guy with the duck said she will be due in February 7. She is not going to make it. Our due date is tomorrow.


I’m confused. What guy with a duck?


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## Show Sebright (Jan 9, 2022)

Finnie said:


> I’m confused. What guy with a duck?


Buck. Sorry I typed it wrong


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## Ridgetop (Jan 9, 2022)

I figure 2 apiece.  If our dairy goats had looked like this, they would have had trips or quads. LOL However, these White Dorper sheep are deep, wide, and heavy bodied normally.  Not very tall, but excellent meat producers.

To me, the white ewe doesn't look bred at all.  What is the latest date she would lamb? The red ewe looks more like she would lamb in February, so February 7 sounds about right.  If these are first time ewes, they could easily have singles which is common in first fresheners.  Udders can develop early or late in the pregnancy.  7088 had a big 5th year udder, but it did not fill until she lambed.  7041 should lamb any day through January 12 but also has a loose empty udder.  She could fill 24 hours before lambing or even after she lambs.  All ewes are different.  If your ewes are first fresheners, they have to grow the udder before it can hold milk so in first fresheners you will see noticeable udder development halfway through the 5-month gestation.

I am not familiar with Katahdins in lamb though, so Baymule and Mike would be the ones to guess at Katahdin lambing dates.  Katahdins are usually taller in the leg, and less thick than my Dorpers so may not show such thick body development as I expect to see in my sheep.    

*Flushing* refers to the practice of giving the ewes extra nutrition before breeding.  you can move them to a richer pasture or you can grain them.  The addition of extra nutrition via richer pasture or grain will "flush" additional eggs from the ovaries so the breeding will produce more lambs.  Twins in sheep and goats are each individual egg and sperm combinations, unlike human twins who are formed by one egg and one sperm spitting after conception.  That is why you have different shapes and colors in twin lambs and kids.

When flushing your ewes put them on a small measure of grain - half a pound to one pound of grain per ewe for 2 months prior to exposing them to the ram.  The ram also needs to be in excellent condition so that he releases large numbers of fertile sperm.  This is because when breeding the ram can cover many ewes in one night.  If he is not producing a lot of fertile sperm some ewes will only produce singles or may not conceive at all.  I leave my ewes with the ram for at least a month to make sure they are all covered.  I change the crayon color every 2 weeks to see if the ewe re-marks.  Some people have thought their ewes were not fertile when it was the fault of the ram.  That is why I give a ewe that does not take with the first ram a second chance with a second ram.  Rams can go sterile, particularly in extremely hot weather.

Once the ewes are bred you should stop the grain since it will only add fat in the first 4 months of pregnancy.  Fat ewes have more trouble lambing and produce heavier lambs that may have trouble fitting through the pelvis.  About 5 days after the lambs arrive, they will be growing fast.  You can add some grain to the ewes' ration to help with milk production.  Grain will not be necessary if the ewes are on rich green pasture.


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## TulipAcres (Jan 9, 2022)

Still waiting. 
I do think the white ewe is bred because she has bagged up a little. 
Here’s a comparison of the brown ewe from Christmas Day to today (15 days later). I’m guessing she’ll have January lambs and that she was bred before she arrived to our homestead.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 9, 2022)

What is the latest date possible for breeding?


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## TulipAcres (Jan 9, 2022)

Ridgetop said:


> What is the latest date possible for breeding?


We took our big ram out November 29th. And separated out our smaller ram lamb yesterday. So…yesterday is the latest possible breeding date hahah.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 9, 2022)

So, you could expect lambs as late as April 23 from the large ram, and June 1 from the ram lamb.  No worries then.  Good luck and let us know when the happy day arrives.


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## TulipAcres (Jan 10, 2022)

Well! Look at our morning surprise!!!
White ram lamb
Brown ewe lamb


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## Baymule (Jan 10, 2022)

My favorite thing about Katahdins—SURPRISE BABIES!!! 

Congratulations!


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## TulipAcres (Jan 10, 2022)

Baymule said:


> My favorite thing about Katahdins—SURPRISE BABIES!!!
> 
> Congratulations!


Such strong and dependable mamas for sure!


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## CaliFarmsAR (Jan 10, 2022)

Congratulations!!!! Two beautiful babies!


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## Mini Horses (Jan 10, 2022)

So adorable!!!  🤗💓


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## Baymule (Jan 11, 2022)

I've had my sheep for 6 years. I've never had to assist a birth. Love these Katahdins!


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## TulipAcres (Jan 11, 2022)

That’s what I like to hear!!!


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## CaliFarmsAR (Jan 11, 2022)

TulipAcres said:


> That’s what I like to hear!!! View attachment 88897


They are so cute!


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## Ridgetop (Jan 12, 2022)

Hurray!  What a good mama!  And the keeper ewe lamb is colored so cute.  Often the other way around.  LOL


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## Show Sebright (Jan 16, 2022)

We are still waiting on Mocha Beans. Her tendons are all loose. She can barely get up and down anymore. She is making that yellow milk (I don’t know how to spell it). She udders are almost totally full. We are thinking she has 3. She just got her vaccines so hopefully the babies get a little too.


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## Legamin (Jan 16, 2022)

TulipAcres said:


> We are new to lambing, though our two ewes are not. Rue, this brown ewe, I suspect will go first. I’ve had an eye on her for a while. How close do you think she is? Days? Weeks? Christmas lambs?!!


I’m no expert but I would say you should expect ’lamb song’ within the week.  we just liquidated our goat herd and our original sheep herd and moved to a specialized rare breed (endangered species) sheep herd and I discovered that not all sheep are alike!  So technically this is our ‘first lamb season’.  The learning curve has been steep.  But one of the things that seems fairly universal is that when the udder fills out (have you checked for active milk?) and the behind bits look amount to unfold…it’s time to grab clean towels and boil some water (or so they would order the husband to do on a 60’s T.V. Show!).  I would organize your lambing pen and fill it up with fresh hay in anticipation.  Put your vaccines and banding equipment, betadine solution, etc. etc. all organized on a shelf so that when the hollering starts you’re not looking for the birthing bag.  If she makes it more than three days you might need to watch to see if she starts laying down too much or is acting slow.  A sterile gloved internal exam might be in order to make sure everything is lined up and not wrong side forward.  My experience (with the sheep I’ve had and the information I have on our new flock) is that they are particularly reliable and easy ‘lambers’ but not all breeds or breed mixes are this way.  Also if you mixed the species like we did on our ‘meat flock’ you might have lambs much larger than usual and have to help them more than normal.  I’m sure I’m a nervous sheep dad ‘preaching to the choir’ but from the images you posted that’s my experience viewpoint from the last five years of ’sheeping’.  There are so many different breeds and so many different difficulty levels it is hard to give specific advice.  
Good luck and happy lambing!  To me, even though it’s a week with wet arms in subzero weather it’s just like a second Christmas!!!


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## Legamin (Jan 17, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> Congrats!
> 
> When is your due date





TulipAcres said:


> They are definitely driving me crazy!!! Mostly because I just can’t wait for the cuteness. But also because I’m pregnant too. And I just need there to be babies somewhere!!!


Congratulations!  As a grandpa and shepherd I feel like I get the best of all worlds!  Cuteness bouncing around the farm every year!  And special bonus round if the grandchildren can come up to the farm and help with the lambing.  They are at the age when they are quite responsible and helpful and young enough to be filled with both confidence and wonder.  I would never presume to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong but have read from several competent resources that they are some health risks associated with pregnant humans coming in close contact with pregnant sheep.  I’ll offer a link if you’re interested, 



			https://www.greendragonecofarm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Why-should-pregnant-women-avoid-sheep-during-the-lambing-season.pdf
		


Please don’t be offended, I don’t know you or how you are interacting with your sheep but since I have read about it and talked to a doctor friend that I worked with years ago I thought it worth passing on.  A local shepherd friend of mine has gone as far as to ask his wife to steer completely clear of all sheep duties for the duration of her pregnancy and he even undresses outdoors in middle of Winter and carefully cleans and washes all clothing and shoes that have any sheep ‘contact’.  I personally think that might be a step over the moon on the issue but I would never presume to tell anyone how they should live.
Now…how ANYONE could possibly NOT be out in the barn watching the new lambs arrive and taking hundreds of pictures and movies of the bouncing little bundles of darling I just don’t know!  There must be nice safe middle ground somewhere!
Good luck with both baby and lambs, God bless your family!


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## Baymule (Jan 17, 2022)

Legamin said:


> Now…how ANYONE could possibly NOT be out in the barn watching the new lambs arrive and taking hundreds of pictures and movies of the bouncing little bundles of darling I just don’t know!  There must be nice safe middle ground somewhere!


I KNOW! I love the lambs, Grandkids only make it all even better. They like to name the sheep. That's how I got a Frimplepants in the flock. Dunno WHERE that came from!


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## Show Sebright (Jan 28, 2022)

Got 3 baby boys!!!!! Got to sell them but still.


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## Baymule (Jan 28, 2022)

3 baby boys and no pictures?? **


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## Show Sebright (Jan 28, 2022)

Baymule said:


> 3 baby boys and no pictures?? **


They won’t load I’m trying! It’s cold here so we got them pjs


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## Baymule (Jan 28, 2022)

Thewy are so cute!


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## Alaskan (Jan 28, 2022)

Show Sebright said:


> They won’t load I’m trying! It’s cold here so we got them pjs


Gorgeous set of lambs!!!

Super happy for you.

Boys = Cash money, so all good!


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## Show Sebright (Jan 29, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> Gorgeous set of lambs!!!
> 
> Super happy for you.
> 
> Boys = Cash money, so all good!


Goats but yeh. 20 weeks and we are selling them. 3 registered bucks


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## Alaskan (Jan 29, 2022)

Show Sebright said:


> Goats but yeh. 20 weeks and we are selling them. 3 registered bucks


Oops!

😊


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