The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: TheCaptain on February 13, 2012, 08:18:20 pm
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I've got two shearlings that have relatively full udders - what's the usual time between these developing and them lambing? My other lot have all lambed before and I'm pretty hot on when they're going to lamb (behaviour/udder etc) but these two have thrown me a bit!
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I would be inclined to think lambs would be due within the next few days, watch for other signs like swelling of the vagina, mine show a moistening of that area too when ready to lamb. Some of the other signs such as going off alone, stargazing, nest building etc I've yet to see!!
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I find alot of my ewes-especially the older girls and some of the first timers have a look that I've come to recognize a day before lambing. It's like they wander around a bit usually stare at me or come up to me, nibble at hay but don't really chow down on it. Usually moving a little like lumbering. I will pen them up and usually they lamb that night. It's like they are looking for a good spot and are looking at me to say do you know of any? The udder is harder to estimate on my shearlings as some seem not to change that much just before they lamb. maybe just a little puffier. But they still have a kinda I'm going to explode soon look if I can watch them without them noticing me. That is the best I've got someone else my have much more for you. Good luck
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Once they bag up, I reckon you have the next 36 hours, apart from in some special cases.
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One of mine bags up about a week before lambing another doesn't bag up fully until after she has lambed.
I would say definitely this week she will lamb, watch out for her just looking uncomfortable, off her food and wanting to be alone. x
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Tick tock tick tock ;D
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I find mine vary as well. I have given up predicting after the last few days as I have managed to get it wrong just about every time this year. There is a friend's Shropshire in the barn who has been nesting and panting for over a week but still hasn't produced. Another Shropshire caught us out and produced a lamb yesterday. A Jacob of ours who was showing every sign on Tuesday and I have been checking really regularly produced twins on her own this morning and we were completely caught out on Tuesday by another Jacob who decided to have triplets in the field some time between a check at 4 and calling them in for the night at 5.
Is it my lot or is the favourite time of day all over the place this year? First light for all of mine but one last year but this year there doesn't yet seem to be a pattern.
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No pattern whatsoever this year - mid-morning, mid-afternoon, mid-evening. Non first thing in the morning though; i love getting up really early to check no nothing!!!
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Hah, the million dollar question! My Suffolks started to bag up about 6 weeks before they lambed and were pretty huge at least 2-4 weeks before. They even had some discharge a week or so before so we had many sleepless nights before they lambed daytime!
They were shearlings so you can't tell
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One of mine lambs every year at 6pm think she likes to get it over with before supper!
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I'm getting impatient now- more to do with what they're going to chuck as opposed to when. Texel x put to my Portland ram!
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Mine are ready too (I think if I punctured them they would explode....not realy) Im not exactly sure as to when as I dont know exactly when they were jumped on with a three week window from about now.
last year all I knew about it was really cute bleating to greet me between one check and the next.
Lets hope its that easy again this year (Ive only got 2!)
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Some of my shearlings had fair udders 4 weeks before lambing, but I find up to 24 hours before the udder gets a particular firmness which isn't there prior to that. My lot have all dropped their lambs during sociable hours, bless them! only 3 left to go now due 7th march. Phew!
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One down, one to go!
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one of mine has got an udder, she's going to be a first time mum and according to my calculations she should not be due for another 4 weeks ???. You should have seen me trying to see her underneath this morning... me on my hands and knees looking underneath (they're very woolly) and her with her head in a bucket with a handful of feed. I am so grateful no one drove past the yard gate ::). The others haven't got udder development yet (more time on my hands and knees), I wish they could just tell me when they are going to have them ;D