Bred Too Young?

[Cotton*wood]

Since the ram was only in with the flock for 5 days, it is possible that unless you saw him actually breeding the ewelings, that they did not get bred. Giving Lutelyse was a good preventive measure.

Definitely keep them in the barn for the next 6 weeks. Much better to be sure than sorry - again. LOL It is easier to have a definite pen just for breeding your ewes. Even if you are renting a ram, using a harness and marking crayons is a good way to make sure when the ewes are bred so you can determine lambing dates. We change the crayon color every 2 weeks so if the ewe remarks we have another date. Also, if you have one ewe that continually remarks you can dispose of her, while if the entire flock remarks, you can get rid of the ram.

How many sheep do you have?

We have ten sheep--three adult ewes, four almost-yearling ewe lambs (being bred), and these three smaller, younger ewe-lambs. I actually saw the smallest one (6.5 months) being bred, and he was sniffing around one of the others, though I didn't see him actually mate with her.

Yeah, probably a good idea with the marking crayons. We were around a ton that first week since it was Thanksgiving week, and saw a lot of breeding action going on. I wrote down the dates of witnessed breedings, so have a very good idea when they'll be lambing if they actually got pregnant then. Now two and half weeks later, I'm seeing no action or interest, so I'm guessing that perhaps they're all bred. We'll see.

We keep the sheep continually on the move--a new paddock every day, so don't really have a definitely pen, or at least not something I'd want them in for any period of time.

The ram is borrowed from a friend/neighbor who manages his sheep just like we do (though with more acres of pasture and fewer animals), and we're not looking to increase our flock. All the lambs will either be sold or eaten.