# Are my ewes close to lambing?



## TheSwindler (Mar 3, 2019)

I bought three dorper / dorper cross ewes December 10. The previous owner said they had been in with rams for multiple cycles and separated them from the rams December 8.  All have lambed before.  All seem to be carrying low as opposed to wide the whole pregnancy, unless they will start getting wider now?  Any guesses as to when they will lamb and with how many?  I want those babies ASAP!

This is Lilith ~6 years old. She had a tiny udder when we got her that started growing about a month ago. She was sick back in December and I hope that didn't affect her pregnancy https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/sick-sheep.38837/


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## TheSwindler (Mar 3, 2019)

Here's Imelda ~2-3 years old.


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## promiseacres (Mar 3, 2019)

Watch for full tight udders and nipple that stand horizontal prior lambing. We no longer have sheep and not an expert but looks like they have a ways to go.


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## TheSwindler (Mar 3, 2019)

This is Jemima. Her udder was flat when I got her and started growing about a month ago.  I think she will go first.


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## promiseacres (Mar 3, 2019)

She definitely looks closer.


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## Sheepshape (Mar 4, 2019)

I'd guess at at least a couple of weeks, maybe more. Jemima looks closest.They don't look very wide or deep to my way of thinking.

Are you feeding them some supplements? The pasture looks rather poor and the period of maximum lamb growth is the last 6 weeks of their pregnancy. (Apologies if I'm 'teaching grandma to suck eggs).

Udders are SO variable. Some udder up a month before and others seem to only get much of an udder as they enter labour.

Keep us updated on their progress.


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## TheSwindler (Mar 4, 2019)

Thanks for the estimates everyone. Guess I will be waiting longer!

The girls have access to the whole property and while they do roam they love being up here by the house. The rest of the land is not amazing pasture either but it is better than up here.

This is what they get per day. Please let me know if you think this is enough and the right stuff.

Free grazing all day
Loose minerals free choice
About 2 cups of alfalfa/Timothy grass pellets split between the 3 of them
One sheet of burmuda grass hay mixed with one sheet of alfalfa hay split between all 3 sheep
The past few days I've been adding about 3 handfuls of 'cattle cubes' grain feed that the previous owner sent with them
Maybe I should start another thread.. but question about the alfalfa hay. Can it give the sheep bloat? Jemima has gotten too many of the alfalfa/Timothy pellets before and started throwing up green foam. Now I'm super scared to give them too many pellets at once or alfalfa hay by itself.


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## TheSwindler (Mar 5, 2019)

Here's some photos of them laying down today. What do y'all think?


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## Sheepshape (Mar 6, 2019)

Jemima is starting to 'fill out' and her body, and that of Imelda, looks in pretty decent condition. Lilith looks skinny (her spine can be seen as a ridge along her back). 

I'm reluctant to advise on specific foods for feeding as we have different supplements and forage types over here and weather is cold, wet,and windy.....meaning calorie requirements are high. However, ewes in the 6 weeks before lambing need approximately twice her usual calorie intake.Food requirements remain high throughout lactation. As the expanding womb presses on the stomach she is less able to take large amounts of forage, so concentrates are needed to allow the lamb to grow whilst maintaining her body condition and prepare her for birth. Resistance to worms plummets as pregnancy advances as the ewe has to become  tolerant of something which is genetically different from herself (the lamb) and not reject it like a graft. Most ewes need to be wormed at or just before lambing.

 Just to indicate..... My girls are about a week from when their lambing is due to start. They have had Se/Co/B12 drench. Weather (as always!) cold, wet, windy. Ewes scanned, and those having singletons are separate from those having multiple lambs. All have access to pasture....pretty poor and not very nutritious at this time of year, but green(ish). They have ad-lib haylage or silage provided for them in large feeders. The haylage came from our own fields and is fairly nutritious. I start feeding concentrates to them 5-6 weeks before estimated birth date. The singletons get a half pound of ewe nuts (cereal/grain pellets with vitamins and minerals...18% protein) twice daily (1lb per day per ewe).They started off having a half pound daily for the first four weeks, then increased to twice daily. Those ewes carrying multiples get 1.5 pounds daily, again divided into two feeds....starting of with three quarters of a pound once a day for the first four weeks.

If (as we are expecting) there's a particularly cold snap, they may even need more food. If anyone gets ill (severe limp etc), I bring them into the sheep shed to monitor them and protect them from the worst of the weather and , hopefully,avoid twin lamb disease.

I hope this helps.


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## TheSwindler (Mar 7, 2019)

I think Jemima and Imelda are getting swollen vulvas. Also have noticed Imelda's udder growing.


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## Sheepshape (Mar 7, 2019)

TheSwindler..... I still think there's a while to go yet. Murphy's Law as applied to sheep says that you watch them like a hawk who has drunk too much coffee....day by day you watch the parts of a sheep that others never even want to see. You have a momentary lapse of interest after what has seemed like an whole army of days looking at said parts (fall asleep, eat a meal, take a shower etc) and come back to find....WHAT IS THAT?.....ewe has given birth. To be honest, this is the best way by far for things to happen.

Fingers crossed for you!


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## Ridgetop (Mar 8, 2019)

Since the ewes were still with the ram until December 8, they might not lamb until May.  Udder growth is good since it proves they are actually pregnant, but ewes can also develop an udder just days before lambing.  One of my Dorper first freshening ewes had a nice big udder 2 months before lambing while the other first freshener ewe had no udder until 2 weeks before lambing and then actually lambed first.

You need to calculate your lambing dates based on exposure to the ram.  What was the first date that the ewes were with the ram?  Count 155 days from that date and anything in between that date and 155 days after December 8 are their due dates.  They do not look very close to lambing but you can't tell a lot from pix.  That is one reason I have gone back to using a marking harness on my ram.  By writing down the dates the ram marks the ewes, you can pin point the date of breeding and calculate the lambing dates.

How many lambs has each ewe had before?  How many _*lambings*_?   Did they lamb last year?  The 6 year old ewe looks pretty thin.  She might not be pregnant, or not be very far along.  Pregnancies are hard on older animals.  I would up her groceries.  Since your pasture looks pretty sparse, add more hay, discontinue the pellets, and add rolled barleycorn to their ration.   I would feed a full flake (about 10 lbs.) alfalfa 2 times a day.  Alfalfa is a high protein hay (we feed all alfalfa here in California since it is most common) and it provides a lot of nourishment and calcium.  If you have to use Bermuda hay, then you want to add more protein in another way. Bermuda is lower in protein but will give them the roughage that they need for  healthy rumen.  I would feed about 1/2 lb. rolled barleycorn per ewe per day in addition to the hay.  You can stop the pellets since sheep are ruminants and require roughage to make their rumens work.  Pellets are a milled food, and do not supply the required roughage.  They are ok for horses but not so good for ruminants.

If you can catch these ewes, do a feel test for condition.  There are lots of articles on condition scoring on the internet.  You don't want to feel any bony processes on the spines.  You want a light fat covering over the ribs, and the hips should not be bony or protruding.  Have they been wormed and vaccinated recently?  You need to worm them and make sure they are vaccinated with CDT.  Keep them on the same feeding regime while they are milking and nursing lambs.  If they look like they are losing condition, up the grain ration.  Then make sure they are in good condition before breeding again.

Hope this helps.


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## TheSwindler (Oct 31, 2019)

Just following up here - I waited and waited and waited, and lambs never came!   😭

We got a ram and I'm pretty sure all our ewes are about 2.5 months along now.  I'll see if I can get some pictures...


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## TheSwindler (Oct 31, 2019)

Ridgetop, thanks for the great info! Question about the pellets. Is it ok to give as a treat? They get about two cups a day split between all of them.
They get lots of coastal and I'm going to up their alfalfa soon. I occasionally give them just a bit of grain based sheep food. Any other ideas for protein?


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## Sheepshape (Nov 1, 2019)

Sorry to hear that you didn't get lambs. 
The later stages of pregnancy in sheep is pretty obvious.....belly balloons, udder swells and 'dropping' around the tail.
If there is a reasonably priced Scan Man (or Lady), then the guess work can be taken out. Our local scanner comes in about 30 days after the ram is taken out and tells us the number of lambs which we may expect.
Over here (wool sheep) the median length of ovine pregnancy is 147 days with a range of 140-150 days. The shortest pregnancies are in the largest breeds (like Blue Faced Leicesters) and the those ewes expecting two or more lambs.
Another way to determine possible pregnancy in sheep is to put saddle powder or a paddle harness on the ram. Raddle powder mixed with a bit of vegetable oil is plastered over the chest of the ram or placed in the harness pad. If he mounts the ewes saddle powder is transferred to the ewe's bum and is easy to see. This will not confirm if the ewe is pregnant or not, just if she has been mated.
I DO hope that you have lambs this time round. They really are a joy.


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## Baymule (Nov 1, 2019)

That's too bad about the false pregnancy, but now you have your own ram and things will get busy soon! LOL I have a ewe that bags up like a cow 3-4 weeks before giving birth, she makes me crazy! The top ligaments over their hips and top base of their tails will soften up a few days before giving birth. Along their spine will get all soft and mushy and kinda sunken in a little. That's an easier indicator than watching a milk bag!


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## TheSwindler (Dec 6, 2019)

Lilith - she's about a month away from her due date


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## TheSwindler (Dec 6, 2019)

Front views


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## TheSwindler (Dec 6, 2019)

Jemima side view


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## TheSwindler (Jan 10, 2020)

Lilith had lambs last night!


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 10, 2020)

Congrats!


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## Baymule (Jan 10, 2020)

Twins! Looks like one is a ram lamb. Congrats on the beautiful lambs!


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## TheSwindler (Jan 10, 2020)

Yep, one boy and one girl. I am loving them. Thanks everyone!


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## TheSwindler (Jan 10, 2020)

Gabriel likes to snuggle close to his mama:


Maybelline:


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## Baymule (Jan 11, 2020)

Beautiful babies!


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## Ridgetop (Jan 11, 2020)

Pretty lambs!  Is your ram a White Dorper?


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## TheSwindler (Jan 12, 2020)

He is a Royal White - part Dorper part St Croix. Lilith came from a Dorper ranch but not too sure what all she has in her. Previous owner said she could have some Katahdin.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 12, 2020)

Very nice lambs.  are you keeping the ewe lamb?  Have your other ewes lambed yet?


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## TheSwindler (Jan 12, 2020)

Thank you.  I am keeping all the lambs. They are my pets and just a hobby   Imelda lambed yesterday morning - two ewe lambs. Compared to Lilith's, Imelda's lambs are tiny.  She was about 143 days where Lilith was about 148.  One of Imelda's lambs cannot find her nipple  We've been bottle feeding powdered colostrum and some milk that I milked out of Imelda. I hope she makes it.


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## TheSwindler (Jan 12, 2020)

Hanako and Irmhild


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## Ridgetop (Jan 12, 2020)

Continue trying to put her on the ewe.  It will be better for her and you.  Is the teat very tiny?  Or was the lamb just weak?  Sometimes you have to strip the waxy plug out of the teat if the lamb is not strong enough to do it.  Is there milk in the teat?  Make sure that milk is coming out.  Try putting a halter on the ewe and tying her to the side of the pen so you can hold the lamb on to the teat.  Once the lamb gets the idea she will be able to find it herself.  Often bottle lambs will not go back to the teat because the milk is easier to get from the bottle.  They suck differently on the bottle nipple than they do on the ewe's teat to make the milk let down.  If you can milk the ewe out a bit on that side, it will help elongate the teat and the milk will be good for the lamb when mixed with formula.  How much is the lamb taking at a feeding?

Small birth weight does not  mean anything as long as the lambs are active and healthy,  Some ewes and rams produce small birth weight lambs that gain very fast.  Others produce larger birth rate lambs that do not grow as fast.  One of my rams is specifically bred to produce small birth weight lambs that grow very fast.  I like using that ram on first fresheners since giving birth to the smaller lambs is easier on the smaller yearling moms.  The lambs catch up in size very fast depending in the amount of mill the mama produces and the amount of feed available to the lambs and moms.


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## Baymule (Jan 12, 2020)

Do keep in mind that ram lambs are fertile at a very young age, like as young as 2-3 months old, and will breed their mothers, sisters, any ewe. If you are going to keep the ram lamb, you might want to wether him soon.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 12, 2020)

Definitely wether any ram lambs - banding is easy.  You might consider keeping the ewe lambs as pets and sell the wethered lambs for meat (or if you can face it eat them yourselves).  Your flock will grow too fast if you keep all the lambs.  Especially since you have ewes and rams that breed out of season, you will be having lambs every 9 months.  If they are all running together the ram will be breeding his daughters which is ok for terminal breedings (meat) but not good if you go more than 2 generations.  Since you already have 3 ewe lambs you have already doubled your flock before your 3rd ewe even lambs.  Congratulations on your successful season!


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## TheSwindler (Jan 12, 2020)

Thank you all for the help.  We are hoping the lamb won't have to be bottle fed forever and will eventually learn how to find the teat.  She still looks for it and sometimes gets one nibble on it but she just cannot get it in her mouth and keep it there. Milk is coming out of both teats. I've gotten the teat in her mouth but she freezes up and won't suck, even with the tail tickle trick.

Interesting to learn about the birth weights - I was thinking Imelda would have big babies since she's our biggest ewe 

I have a burdizzo that I plan to use on any ram lambs - any advice on this is appreciated 

The plan was for this to be our only lambing, maybe one more.  And keep the ram separate with any of his sons, maybe rotate them so Mamas can still see their boys once in a while 😁


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## Ridgetop (Jan 13, 2020)

If you don't plan to breed anymore, I suggest you sell the ram.  Keeping a ram is a hassle if you are not planning o using him for breeding.  Particularly of you plan to keep him separated from the ewes.  When they come into season he will be trying to get to them if kept next to them.  If you plan to keep the ram lambs, turn them into wethers for safety sake.

Is there a reason you don't want to sell the ram lambs for meat or eat them yourselves?  If you sell them or eat them you can continue breeding and lambing.  That way the ram could run with the ewes all the time which would be easier and less work for you.  That is assuming that your ram is docile.  Some rams are pretty mean.


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## TheSwindler (Jan 14, 2020)

I'm happy to report Hanako has learned how to latch on!  I am so relieved and so happy that Imelda didn't reject her.

Selling or eating the ram lambs isn't totally out of the picture in the future, but for this lambing I'll keep them all.  I guess I just don't want to deal with that extra work right now.  Maybe in a few months things will cool down and I'll change my mind.


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## Baymule (Jan 15, 2020)

In a few months your ram lambs will be breeding. That will bring on a lot of extra work. Best to address it now and make the decision to wether and keep as pets, sell, eat, whatever your plans may be. I have found it vastly much easier to wether at a young age than to try to separate out ram lambs and keep them in a pasture by themselves until slaughter or selling.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 15, 2020)

It's not that unusual for a weak lamb to struggle to get the first few feeds from mum. The colostrum can be very thick initially. If a lamb fails to suck initially, try getting the lamb to suck on your finger which has a little of mum's colostrum on it, then stuff the teat into their mouth. Generally it's a two person job, but isn't as difficult as it sounds. The lamb often just stops with the teat in its mouth, not sucking for a moment or two, then most lambs will start to suck by instinct.
A bit of persistence at this stage, as you have found, often pays off. Lambs are much better fed by mum as Nature intended, no matter how endearing a bottle lamb can be!


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## Ridgetop (Jan 16, 2020)

Excellent news on Hanako!  In a few months, your lambs will be big.  In 6 months they will be almost as big as mom. These lambs are your first lambs and you love them but eventually, you will see the reality of loving the ewe lambs in your barn or field, while loving the ram/wether lambs on your plate!  There is nothing like eating your own home grown meat and knowing it was raised healthily and without chemicals.

 Whatever you decide, make sure to vaccinate with CDT at least 2 weeks before castration to avoid infection.  If you want to vaccinate and castrate immediately, use Tetanus antitoxin which will give immediate protection.


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## TheSwindler (Jan 27, 2020)

Our final ewe, Jemima, lambed on Saturday.

Sapphire (all white!) and Juniper. Both girls.  So in total, 5 ewe lambs and one ram lamb.
Very thankful for a pretty smooth first lambing season


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## Ridgetop (Jan 27, 2020)

YAY!  Congratulations on a successful season.  With 5 ewe lambs to keep, you can feel ok about eating the ram lamb.  YUM!


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