[Haylo-peapod]

One of my old GFD ewes who is currently on a sabbatical has just stood, repeatedly (!), for the ram - what on earth is going on?
 
I have always put my girls and boys together over the summer months and never had any surprises.  I guess the sun has gone to her head and she's feeling like a loved-up hippy.
 
But on a serious note, the ewes 'shouldn't' be cycling at this time of year so what is going on? Is she just being a floozy as she didn't get her bit of fun in the Autumn OR could she actually be cycling and could she actually get pregnant? 

[Moleskins]

I dunno but you've got me worried because my rams in with my girls too.

[robert waddell]

she must have been gouping for it or she would not have taken it

[in the hills]

Novice keeper so can only tell you what I have been told by local experienced farmer .... no knowledge of your particular breed.
 
Not unheard of for them to conceive at any time of the year. He has known ... surprise lambs ... at all times of the year. I was told that primitives are less likely to conceive except in the autumn but even these are not fool proof.

[tizaala]

She must be in season for the ram to cover her, you are going to have late lambs.

[Fleecewife]

I have an elderly Shetland ewe too old to breed from who has stood faithfully for a couple of days every cycle right through winter and spring, shouting across the road to the tups, who we keep over there well out of the way     If you keep entire males in with your ewes you will get lambs 

[Bangbang]

It's the sunshine, I think. This morning one of our goats was coming on to the billy 
 

[Haylo-peapod]

Well I've done a bit of research on t'internet and found a few articles where lambs have been born in the Autumn but it is extremely rare in most British breeds.
 
I'm just keeping everything crossed that although the ewe stood for the ram that she wasn't actually cycling.
 
Puts me in a bit of a dilemma about what to do for the summer albeit it is the first time anything like this has happened in the past 7 years so I just hope it's a blip.   

[SallyintNorth]

We discuss this several times a year, and the threads seem to come out about half-and-half "it's very rare and unlikely in primitives" and "it happens, here's a list of all the breeds (including several primitives) which cycle all year".

With the climate all over the place, I'd expect lambs if I ran fertile ewes with fertile tups - and no, having their lambs on them is not 100% protection, either. 

[Haylo-peapod]

With the climate all over the place, I'd expect lambs if I ran fertile ewes with fertile tups - and no, having their lambs on them is not 100% protection, either. 

My understanding was that a ewe coming into season was based on day length (i.e. longer nights) which, as yet  , climate change hasn't had any impact on.
 
Is the time the ewe comes into season affected by climate as well as daylight?

[SallyintNorth]

Is the time the ewe comes into season affected by climate as well as daylight?

We definitely notice differences year to year here - everyone aroundabout found their girls taking longer to get in the mood this last time, after two very long hard winters the years before.

[Haylo-peapod]

We definitely notice differences year to year here - everyone aroundabout found their girls taking longer to get in the mood this last time, after two very long hard winters the years before.

Interesting, ours took longer to get in the mood too - I had put it down to a new, inexperienced ram but maybe I haven't been fair on him.
 
One final puzzle with my old ewe, she was in a field with 2 mature rams and it was the more senior of the mature rams was the one that got his wicked way with her. The other lay about 100 yards away merrily chewing the cud showing no interest whatsoever whereas a few of last years entire ram lambs were a bit curious.
 
Not sure whether this gives any clues to her genuine status or not? Ho hum, I guess I'll find out in October (oh yes, that makes another month in which I now can't plan a holiday, oops    )

[downthetrack]

We're expecting lamb(s) any day now even though the tup is barely 9 months old....