The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Yeoman on April 02, 2013, 05:04:03 pm
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I hope those of you who have started lambing are all doing well.
I have a quick question...
One of my first time ewes was bagging up nicely over the last few weeks - like the other first time ewes. Now she seems to have nothing much showing at all.
I wondered whether ewes experience variations in their hormone levels that had cause the bag to slowly appear only to disappear later.
Has anyone else seen a bag fade away?
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Never seen that one. When was she due? If lamb failed in utero it may have been reabsorbed. Lots of ewes are dry or drying up after 3 or 4 weeks this year. They need body fat to produce milk and if they haven't got it the lambs will die but the ewe will survive to breed the next year - Mother Nature being efficient, I guess. If this is the case it won't matter how much high energy feed she has - it will help her survive but not to produce milk.
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She could have aborted the lambs and so is now drying up.