[Liz Kershaw]

Sheep conundrum two: I have a 2 year old who caught first time with the tup but showed no lamb at scanning. I assumed she'd reabsorbed the foetus with the stress of moving back from tup's land to ours. Since another ewe's twins were born they've been harassing this ewe and apparently suckling for a minute until she boots them away. She was shorn yesterday and now I can see properly that she does have a tiny milk bag. Should I be worried about something internal? She appears fine otherwise.
Also should I try and tup her again this year? Mine are a small hobby flock so she won't be culled.

[shep53]

Please stop sheep worrying you'll get ulcers , she will be fine this year and next

[Old Shep]

Sheep can get udders and milk without getting pregnant - just by being fat!!!

[Liz Kershaw]

Reassurance number two, thank you. We only bought the sheep as lawnmowers originally and then I got kind of hooked ...

[Marches Farmer]

You're absolutely certain she's not in lamb ....?

[Sbom]

How long ago was she scanned?

[Jullienne]

Sheep can get udders and milk without getting pregnant - just by being fat!!!

do you mean like a phantom pregnancy like in goats?

[Coximus]

Sometimes they get milk, and several times I've found this situation with stil births - you wont always find the dead lamb tho, badgers and kites will take stillborn lamsb pretty sharpish.

Today a fat hog from last year who keeps escaping the deathbus gave birth, so sometimes accidents do happen (means one of the wethers she was bought with as a store wasnt quite a wether)

[Old Shep]

Sheep can get udders and milk without getting pregnant - just by being fat!!!

do you mean like a phantom pregnancy like in goats?

I'm not sure if its a phantom pregnancy or not, but have seen quite a few times a geld ewe (i.e. not pregnant) still have a small bag which produces milk but only if they are quite fat.

[Liz Kershaw]

She's not fat but is certainly not undernourished ... Definitely not preggers, it would have turned up by now (scanned in Feb??) and no exposure to a tup since new year. She seems well, my only concern was whether some tissue had been left behind from miscarried/absorbed lamb. Our old German Shepherd was prone to false pregnancies - milk etc. We had her spayed in the end.

[Jullienne]

If she continues like this, and I am sorry to have to say this, it may be better to cull her out. It sounds like her fertility could be up the creek a bit, would be worth scanning again though, has she jumped out at all or a ram lamb gotten in maybe?

[Liz Kershaw]

I don't think she could have been got at - only remote possibility is that she was tupped very near the day we collected them but there was no new raddle mark. I might give her another go next time as she did catch straight away but the lamb had gone by time of scanning - they did get really stressed though when they were caught to be brought home so I wasn't surprised that it had an effect.

[Old Shep]

I would give her a second chance too.  I don't think there's anything too unusual going on.  Lost her lamb, reabsorbed or aborted due to stress.  Has milk because of really good condition - not that unusual.  Just make sure she's not too fat around tupping time as it will reduce fertility.

[Big Benny Shep]

We've had a few ewes with milk and a small udder, who where defiantly not in lamb, but we're fat, fit and bouncing round like spring lambs. She'll be fine, ours went to the tup later in the year and raised twins with no issue. Leave her (ie don't milk her out) and she will be right as rain

[Liz Kershaw]

Thank you. I'm not going to cull her - she was my favourite lamb of her year so I'll give her another go this year. She seems well otherwise - I am much reassured.