How to know when an ewe is pregnant?

[boykin2010]

I have heard there is a pregnancy test for sheep. Is this true? If so, where i do get one and how much would one cost.
I am going to need to see if some of my ewes are pregnant and the sooner i can find out the better.
I would probably have to wait 3 or so months before i can tell a difference in the size of the ewe if she is actually pregnant.
Have any of you done a pregnancy test on sheep before?
Is there something i should look for in pregnant sheep?

 

[SheepGirl]

There really is no way to physically tell (look for signs, for example) if a ewe is pregnant early on if you didn't record breeding dates/have a marking harness on the ram. You can have a veterinarian come out and do an ultrasound. You can also have your ewe's blood tested to see if they're pregnant. One simple search turned up this: http://www.biotracking.com/sheep

 

[boykin2010]

Thank you for the link! I am going to look into it. Hopefully my ram is doing his job, but i have been warned that since it has been so hot this year he could be sterile.

 

[Robert]

Is johnson grass ok for sheep? My hay has some johnson grass in it.

 

[boykin2010]

This isnt the best place to be posting this.Your new, so just go to the index then post your question under the appropriate section. You will get more replies that way

 

[theawesomefowl]

Boykin, have you got any recent photos of your sheep? If so, I'd love to see them! I love mine! I have got some photos of my lambs in my "journal" thread.
That pregnancy test that SheepGirl posted a link to looked interesting....if you're willing to take the blood and send it off yourself.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I use Biotracking and love them. Taking blood is very easy! With sheep it's slightly harder with goats because of the wool, but you can always clip a bit on their neck so you can see what you're doing.

 

[theawesomefowl]

I use Biotracking and love them. Taking blood is very easy! With sheep it's slightly harder with goats because of the wool, but you can always clip a bit on their neck so you can see what you're doing.

Maybe I will invest in the smallest kit from Biotracking then--because that doesn't sound so very scary, and I really NEED my ewe lambs to get pregnant this winter. They are still on the small side now. It isn't too expensive either!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I use Biotracking and love them. Taking blood is very easy! With sheep it's slightly harder with goats because of the wool, but you can always clip a bit on their neck so you can see what you're doing.

Maybe I will invest in the smallest kit from Biotracking then--because that doesn't sound so very scary, and I really NEED my ewe lambs to get pregnant this winter. They are still on the small side now. It isn't too expensive either!

Don't invest in a kit! All you need is a red top tube that you can get at any vet hospital. They're super cheap. I think I paid $1.50 for 5 tubes last time I got them. And you'll need a syringe (at least 3 mL) and a 20 gauge needle. Then you only have to pay shipping to Biotracking, and that's not very expensive at all.

 

[soniat]

Good thread you have shared here,

You may try the www.biotracking.com

I hope it is helpful to you as well.

Anyway thank you for sharing a good thread here..
Have a good day