[Penninehillbilly]

Hi
I have 2 sheep, reared as 'pets' 2012 (to use spare goats milk ).
took them to a tup in winter 2013 - nothing born but farmer said a lot of his had missed as well.
Dec 7 2014 brought in a tup. put a raddle harness on a week later. I know White one (Mule) was covered on Dec 28th, still had the tup over 3 weeks later so I presume she would have been covered 3 times?
Black sheep (Swale) dropped 1 male lamb May 6th
Should White one be on her way? is it my fault because she may have been too fat? would anybody give her another chance?
trouble with having only 2 is that little black will be upset if her buddy goes, and her lamb will have to go (didn't ring him in time). Unless I can get another 'pet' who will come to the bucket I'll have a problem catching etc.

[shep53]

Why not give her another go ,they are your pets so having a lamb every year is not vital , if you think they were to fat then yes that wouldn't help  , but I assume they have tons of space so difficult for you to control condition . DEC 7th is a little late for the ram early or mid nov would be a little better

[SallyintNorth]

DEC 7th is a little late for the ram early or mid nov would be a little better

Depends where in West Yorks phb is.  Up on the hills, lambing in May is easier all round

Sheep love to make fools of us.

I took Rosie Mule down to my Shetland tup lamb, Chad, on 22nd Nov.  He was very keen but she was a little large for him; I expected them to find some uneven ground and manage, but she came a-tupping again on 10th Dec, so I led them down to a very uneven area and left them to it.

She didn't come again after Christmas, so I fully expected her to be last, on 6th May.

I didn't have a start date; Chad had been with them since he arrived in mid-August, and I don't use raddle on my fleece sheep.  I had dates for some of the girls, but not all.

Before anyone had lambed, Anya, the Shetland that came with Chad seemed restless, big in the bag, on the morning of 15th March.  Of course she did, I had planned a trip out with a friend... never mind, I went out, but came back early to check her.

Final tally?  Rosie lambed on April 16th, so had been served that first time and had had no business coming back to the tup on Dec 10th. 

And Anya?  The last to lamb of them all... 

[Penninehillbilly]

Thanks, yes it was a bit late, problem borrowing a tup earlier. but at least weather was good, it can be a bit rough North facing at a 1000ft in winter . I have kept hoping but theres been no sign of an udder.
They probably have about an acre but it's rough + rushes.
 
SO - writing off this year, would I be OK to leave boy with his mum next autumn and see if he covers them both? It's not as though they could be too inbred yet? He was a Zwarble.
 
So Anya kept you on tenterhooks for over a month?
 

[SallyintNorth]

She did!  Naughty girl!  Worth the wait though - a nice little moorit tup lamb and the most delightful wee grey katmoget girl 

[SallyintNorth]

would I be OK to leave boy with his mum next autumn and see if he covers them both? It's not as though they could be too inbred yet? He was a Zwarble.

Personally I do think this would be okay.  Of course don't keep any offspring for breeding, but we get the odd son-to-mum mating amongst the commercials and the lambs are always fine.  (So much so that we sometimes wonder why we go out and spend money on tups!  )