We have two ewes and one ram, which we kept together due to lack of pen/housing at the time. The ram is huge, though only 10 months old. The older ewe, about 2, looks like she may be pregnant, "bulging" at the sides, but we're not sure. Is there an easy way to tell, short of having the vet out to check? We are preparing separate housing and pen for the ram, so that we can eventually breed them, and so if the ewe is pregnant, he will be out of the way. He is such a baby, being a bottle baby, and never having been alone, that when we tried to separate him and put in in the barn behind the horses, out of sight of the ewes, he cried pittifully all day and night until he was hoarse. Any advice would be helpful, as we are novice at the sheep raising end of things. Thanks!

-- Janice Bullock (Janice12@aol.com), January 21, 2000

Answers

When the lambs show up. I've got ewes who'll look pregnant, some who'll even look as though they're about to lamb-nada. Others that I'd bet the farm weren't pregnant turn up with twins. Rotten sheep. As the pregnant ewes get farther along, they'll get bigger across but it is lower down than a fat sheep. They'll also be bigger low and "in back" where their bellies normally curve up between their back legs.

Your poor ram, bottle babies are just impossible. Sheep like to stay together, and for a bottle baby to be completely alone must half kill him. My hat's off to you for not killing the other half, I know what it is like trying to ignore a screaming spoiled sheep. (They usually win)Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), January 21, 2000.

My husband knew of a thourghbred trainer who kept a goat in with his horses in training, they bonded to the goats [each had there own which stayed in a large box stall with the horse]so maybe your ram could go in with one of your horses?

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), January 21, 2000.

The best way I have heard is ultrasound! Our ewes either look pregnant most of the time, or none of the time. It is challenging. Our ewes don't look "bulging" though until pretty close to lambing. Do you know when your ewe got pregnant? Then count out about 5 months....check the gestation times for your breed. Keep a close eye on her from the earliest point of delivery forward...Paula Simmons book: Raising Sheep the Modern Way is a good basic book if you don't already have it. I got copies from a used book store and a friend. One copy in the barn and one in the house....

Can you get a wether to keep with your ram? He is probably so lonesome....Also our rams get really testy when they are by themselves. I have one ram that has always been so "sweet" and charged me the other day when I went into his paddock..he needs to have something " to do" in the off season!

The best to you and to your critters.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), January 21, 2000.

After 20 years raising sheep I sometimes get a little surprise walking into the barn in the morning. And then there's the ewe I'm waiting on now, or should say been waiting on, for two weeks. She shows all the signs of due any minute--large low slung tummy, sunken in on the sides, and a swollen vulva. You'd think I'd get the hang of it by now. Next time you put the ram in, try putting some marking crayon on his chest. When he mounts the ewes he will leave a colored mark on her rump, then you can use the gestation tables for that date, and sort of be ready. Change colors every 17 days. I use just 2 colors and it works fine. Should have done that this year. You can get them from most livestock supply catalogs or feed stores. Don't worry too much though, I've had lambs born when the ram was still in with ewes and didn't have any problems. As for your ram, there's not much to be done. Most rams don't like being taken away from their girls. I usually put mine in the pen next to the ewes so he can at least see and smell them. Part of the crying too, could be because he is still young. Get ready though, your lambs will do the same thing when they're weaned. I do that in the morning, then they have all day to get the yelling out of their system, and by feeding time things are pret

-- Jennifer Schwabauer (schwabauer@aol.com), January 25, 2000.

We shear our ewes about two weeks before they are expected to lamb. When they are tipped over you can see their teats and usually they are bagging out or starting to. The guy who shears for us told us that the teats get bigger and thicker before the udder bags out. He hasn't been wrong yet.

-- JoAnn (jonehls@excite.com), January 22, 2001.

There is no reason to take the ram away from the ewes unless you are trying to control when they breed. Unless he's unusually agressive he won't harm the lambs - my Jacob ram baby-sits and plays with his babies. I have used 6 month old rams to breed my flock, so I don't think there is any doubt you will have lambs. Left to their own inclinations, sheep breed during the cooler months, gestation is five months. So maybe you can figure roughly from that. Also, unless you have some reason to wean the lambs early, the ewes will do that for you without all the clamour of seperated babies. I especially want that if I'm keeping ewe lambs - the ewe and her lamb create a family group. "Raising Sheep the Modern Way" by Paula Simmons is my bible.

-- Maggie's Farm (elemon@peacehealth.org), January 22, 2001.