We've had tups out with a couple of batches since 20th Sept but nothing really happened for more than two weeks, and then only one or two until the weather turned about 10 days ago. Clearly our ewes don't think it's right to have sex until Autumn kicks in!
We're in cold
wet
north Cumbria, and these are mainly Texel X, Charollais X commercial sheep out with a Dutch Texel and a Texel tup. My primitives haven't come a-tupping yet.
We rudd the tups when they first go out so the first few tupped get marked. Then we rudd again with a different colour when we switch the tups over. Our sheep lamb outside, we only bring them in if it looks as though they'll lamb into really cold wet weather.
We get them scanned, sometimes the whole flock and sometimes just certain groups - first-timers, earlies, for instance - and the scanner can give us an indication of any that look 'soon' and any that look 'very late'.
If I had only 5, I would use one colour on the tup, note down the numbers/names and dates as the ewes got tupped. Change the colour 16 days after the first ewe was tupped to check that all have held.