[raygezer]

Hi I am new to keeping sheep,I have just inherited four ewes I think they are all in lamb ! one of the ewes has a dirty rear end do I have to have it all clipped away ? apart from when the ewes start bagging up is there another way to tell when they are due to lamb as previous owner let the ram run with the ewes all the time  any advise would be helpfull thanx

[daddymatty82]

clean the rear end up. when the lambs due? they will bag up a week befor then very noticeable 12-24 hrs bag really drops and teats stick out  remember not to tip them if close to lambing down what breed are they ?

[raygezer]

Hi I am sorry I am not sure what breed but guessing they have been crossed they dint look like any breed in any of the books Ive looked at

[Anke]

Make sure they are not too thin, maybe keep a lick in the field and plenty of hay. Also would feed a bit of concentrate if they do look a bit think right now. They will need an increasing ration of concnetrates, but difficult to do if you don't know when they are due at all!

Did the previous owner vaccinate with Heptavac? if not, or you don't know maybe discuss with your vet about best way forward. They would be due a booster about 4 - 6 weeks before lambing, to give some immunity to the lamb via colostrum.