[Jacob-list] Breeding age

[ARTHUR PARTRIDGE]

>I was hoping for some pro's and con's pertaining to breeding 7-8 month old
ewes. Also the pro's and con's of utilizing a 7-8 >month old ram for
breeding.
> 
>Thanks in advance!
> 
>Bill Hyslip
============
Personally, I have decided to wait until the ewes are about a year and a
half old; or at least one year.  Mine are rather small at 7-8 months, not
fully grown.  I don't want to take a chance and stunt their growth.  It
might be different for others though; maybe their sheep are full grown
sooner than mine.  As for the "pro's", I heard that breeding a ewe early
results in her having twins whereas waiting a year lessens the chances for
twins.  I don't know if this is true or not, just something I heard or
read.  I would appreciate any comments on that. 

As for the ram, I used a 7-month old ram last year and he was completely
successful.  I did notice that he needed more time than my older ram.  I
doubled the amount of time (2 months) the ram lamb was with the ewes, just
in case.  It was a good decision because one lamb was born a month later
than the others.  Maybe the delay was due to the ewe and not the ram lamb.
Cathy
Moscow, Idaho