[Fleecewife]

Back in November we sent a handful of our Hebridean ewes to be tupped with someone else's tup - this is a way of increasing the genetic diversity of our flock.  We already use several tups here, each with his own small group of ewes, but we ran out of paddocks for them all, so that is why these few went away.  However, after a week or so we found that there was no grass, no hay and there was deep snow where they were so we brought them home again on Nov 16th.  They were wormed, anti-fluked and put into isolation for 5 days and after that they were divided up between the tups we have here, on Nov 21st.
From those dates I calculated that if their lambs were sired by the away tup, they would be born before April 12th (which none were), and if they were sired by a home tup they would be born after April 19th.  All very neat and organised.....ha!  One has just lambed today, April 16th   so....who is the daddy?  The importance is that the tup lamb looks very promising for registration, but I need to know who sired him.

[jaykay]

I'd go for your home tups - my experience is that if lambs don't come when they should, they tend to be early rather than late.
What gestation length are your calculations based on? (I know, I could probably work it out but it is lambing time and I've not had enough sleep  )

[kanisha]

Its relatively easy to get a paternity test for sheep as I understand things these days if you really want to be certain.

[shep53]

My money would be on home, rams out 21st  single on 13th single on 14th normally start 16th

[Fleecewife]

I'd go for your home tups - my experience is that if lambs don't come when they should, they tend to be early rather than late.
What gestation length are your calculations based on? (I know, I could probably work it out but it is lambing time and I've not had enough sleep  )

I go by the 'tups in on Nov 5th, lambs start April Fools day' method.  Our tups went in on Nov 6th last year so we should have started on April 2nd, but two lambed on April Fools Day, so one day early.  To get the dates for the ewes that went away I just added on the appropriate number of days - simplest method at this time of year  

kanisha - how would I go about getting a paternity test?  Would I need dna from both sires?  Getting any from the away tup would be difficult.  Is it a blood sample or will saliva work?

shep53 - your dates would certainly suggest more likely to be 3 days early rather than 3 days late.  If it hadn't been exactly mid-way between the two dates it would have been easier to work out  

Thank you everyone 

[jaykay]

I go by the 'tups in on Nov 5th, lambs start April Fools day' method.  Our tups went in on Nov 6th last year so we should have started on April 2nd, but two lambed on April Fools Day, so one day early.  To get the dates for the ewes that went away I just added on the appropriate number of days - simplest method at this time of year

Lol, that's exactly how I do it!

Our Rough Fells generally do 146 if twins and 147 if singles. The Herdies used to do 144 days. So I'd go with the home tup still 

[kanisha]

Hmm my rams went in on the 7th of november i'm only just starting to lamb now ( one born two weeks ago ) the rest started yesterday..................I had five breeding groups with five different rams three rams have yet to start producing....looking at everyone they are all pregnant just not ready yet. All will be singles and primitives

[SallyintNorth]

Well we are supposed to be having a lull for a few days so we can catch up a bit (sleep, wash some clothes, vac a few floors, etc) before the first-timers start.  Today is end of first cycle (main flock) and indeed only two are left to lamb.  Shearlings should start Weds 20th, hoggs Fri 22nd. 

Which is why one hogg and two shearlings lambed today.  Harrumph. 

BH says some tups give a shorter gestation, and some never start on time.

If the ewes were in deep snow it was presumeably very cold where they were, so would the tup's wrigglers have been fully motile?  Most likely the girls were very ready by the time they came home and got caught quickly when you put them with your tup.

[Fleecewife]

Yes a couple had barely got into the field before they were mated  Unfortunately I don't remember which ones.  There is one from that group, a first timer which I think may not have taken at all as she is remarkably slim and frisky.  We don't scan so will just have to wait and see for her.
So everyone thinks it's the home tup?  Well he's known to be a very fertile chap, so I'll go with that.
The ewe in question produced a single and counting up the days that is 146 as jaykay says, so definitely home boy - ah well, mystery solved   
Thank you 

[SallyintNorth]

Good result!

[Fleecewife]

Another one from that group lambed the following day to the same home tup, so that confirms it for me.  The away tup had over 45 ewes to deal with, plus the snow and I think my girls were a bit stand-offish (and taken aback at having nowt to eat) so presumably he never got round to them.