[Jacob-list] is she bred or not?

[Betty Berlenbach]

Just to clarify: I put the rams in Nov. 1, and take them out Nov. 18.  Who's bred is bred; who isn't, isn't.  In nine years, I've had one jacob and one shetland who didn't "take" in that time.  I NEVER breed last year's lambs; they are kept isolated, if I keep any of them myself, which is seldom.  So, we are talking about ewes at least 18 months old here.  A friend says her shetland ewe lambs never come into season until Dec. in Maine, so she lets them all run together til then.  The ewes around here generally will cycle come, oh, October?  I'm not sure since they aren't with the  rams other than that 18 days.  Another friend has them together and close, and does get them cycling so that he has lambs in Jan and Feb.  My theory is that primitive animals have some instinctive thing going on so that they don't cycle until it's safe to have a lamb, weeatherwise, five months later.  Hence, northern Maine, they don't begin cycling til way after mine do.  Icelandics don't generally cycle til Dec. either, possibly a genetic thing having to do with winters in Iceland?  And in Pa. where the weather is mild compared to here, they will cycle in Sept. and sometimes even August , I think...Royal?  I also think they'll cycle quicker if they can smell the boyfriends around, even if they aren't in wi th them.  Kind of gets the juices moving to know there's a hottie around somewhere...This year mine were within 500 feet of the boys.  Last few years, they were a half mile away til Nov. 1.  They still all "took", settled, I guess is the word.

I must be tired...feel like I'm babbling.  Of course, the older I get, the more I have that feeling...hmm...Betty!
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mary Hansson 
  To: Victoria da Roza ; jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 5:04 PM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] is she bred or not?


  Victoria,

  You don't say how long the ewes were with the ram, how old the ram was, or many other details that would all be relevant to the breeding likelihood of ANY ewe.  

  A yearling (over 12 months of age this fall) should breed just like any other mature ewe.  If you had a 4 month old lamb in there, the bets would be that she wouldn't be bred---although there is one breeder that (OOPS) left a brother and sister together until 4 months and found a lamb 5 months later.....  I actually saw the lamb/mom/dad and know this to have occurred.

  Ewes typically cycle somewhere between 14-17 days apart and it is generally recommended to leave rams in with them at a bare minimum 2 full cycles.  Betty Behrlenbach puts her rams in for a very short time, and I put mine in typically for 5 months or so----until I can't stand the rams any longer.

  Last year, I pulled the rams the first week in November after realizing how many lambs COULD show up at my place in the spring if everybody were bred.  As a result, approximately 1/3 of my flock didn't lamb---which was fine with me in my particular circumstances and the particular year.  This year, the rams went in sometime in Sept (I think---on my fridge) and they will be in until Christmas/New Year's.  This way, if a ewe does NOT lamb, she is going to auction unless there is one darned good reason to keep a barren ewe.

  If it were me, I wouldn't move the sheep around.  The head touching/butting is jostling for position in the flock---NOT breeding behavior!  That happens at the other end of the animal.

  Mary Ellen




  Mary Ellen Hansson, MEd, RD, LDN
  ISeeSpots Farm
  Jacob Sheep: Lambs, adults, wool
  www.iseespots.com
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