[Pedwardine]

Ok, so we're downsizing this year selling off some of our best to only keep the old and delicate cases. Last years' ram lambs were all castrated by our good selves as normal. We've gotten pretty good at the dreadful deed over the years apart from a couple of teeny unobtainable danglies which the vet did later on. I've rehomed my four Shetlands with a friend who has reported together with pictorial proof that one is developing a nice little udder. Another one is also starting to do the same. Having observed my girls, a few appear to be going the same way    including a very W-I-D-E Brooke who lost both udders to mastitis a couple of years back. Good grass or pregnant? Not alot of clover on the field which I've been informed on here can produce oestrogen. A friend who is currently going through vet school said (though didn't guarantee) that an errant testicle is only really likely to be fertile if descended and none are. Anyone have any experience to draw from out there?

[SallyintNorth]

An undescended testicle may still work if the ambient temperature falls below about -20C.  Ask me how I know. 

[Me]

!!!!!

[Pedwardine]

Ooh too tempting...."How do you know Sally?"

[Anke]

I don't think the temperature has to fall down to -20... , so yes I would think you do have a rig in your flock. Or maybe a neighbouring tup came awandering....not unheard of either...

[SallyintNorth]

The year was 2009.  The first of the very very cold winters in this region.  -21C on 15th December it was, and the snow stayed for about 6 weeks.

11th May 2010 and, lambing finished, BH and I were off to an auction.  Passing the field where our (untupped) shearlings were, BH said, "Oh!  We've got a lamb!"    Mum was with lamb, all looked well, we continued to the auction.

On our return, off to see the new arrival.  Eleven lambs.  We found 10 mums, all happy with one lamb, so I had a new pet lamb - and we had 10 new mums

No other shearlings produced, of the 60-something in total that we had that year.

We worked back and realised that they'd have been tupped on 15th December, that very very cold day.  Well we already knew we'd had a wether in that batch as he'd been identified and sold in the spring.  So now we wondered whether that wether had actually been a rig...

Then one of our neighbours, who run rigged wethers as teasers and then leave them with the flock over winter, reported a similar batch of lambs on 10th/11th May...

[Pedwardine]

What an opportunist that little fella was!

[Pedwardine]

Got my scanner coming a week Weds to see if/who is pregnant. All potential wether undercarriages have been felt up by my good self and no danglies or secreted testiculars nestling in abdomen  . Have contacted one of the people who've had other wether candidates for fatherhood from me. No walnuts in the vicinity. Other person is YOU ROXY. Please do cop a feel of both Gideon and Godson and let me know what you find. If you find nowt then I confess I'm utterly bewildered as to how conception occurred    Definately not one of my rams. If a neighbour's ram then he'd have had to pay regular visits and have disappeared each morning come our checking on the sheep. Perhaps he has a secret tunnel and a sentry sheep demanding a password at our end??? "Halt, who goes there?". "Randy the Ram". "Password?". "The moon is bright for love tonight". "You may pass"......

[Jukes Mum]

Can't wait to hear the rest of this story!!

[Me]

Gods own sheep is generally a Welsh ram I find, or don't find as may be the case

[bloomer]

I cant decide whether this is some super stealth ninja sheep, in and out without a trace!!!


Or some super virile mega sheep capable of impregnating a ewe through a stock fence!!!


Either image is keeping my brain amused, good luck hunting for your missed ball!!!


 

[Pedwardine]

Whoo hoo!! We are NOT pregnant Sheep are just fat and happy. Friend who had some sheepies from us and got the fear ball rolling as one, then two of hers looked suspicious in the udder department had her two scanned today and NO BABIES. YeeeeeeHa    If hers aren't then ours aren't. We've never had a spring without babies so have never noticed slight non-babba swelling of boobies before. Another learning curve travelled. Sooooooooooo relieved 


Ok, maybe a little disappointed too

[SallyintNorth]

Sooooooooooo relieved 


Ok, maybe a little disappointed too

lol

Glad you don't have a hidden ball to ferret out!