[princesslayer]

Ok, I'm going slightly crazy waiting for my first lambing!

Should I definitely be able to see bagging up of udders? It's very wooly under there and I can't see anything. I'm sure they are all pregnant and I saw one of them getting tupped 147 days ago yesterday and the others within a few days but no bagging!

I'm reluctant to catch them up and have a feel as they are a bit flighty. They're shearlings if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

[SallyintNorth]

Usually you will see the udder start to appear under all the wool, yes - but I've a woolly shearling first-timer who isn't showing, too.    When we had them in for their vaccinations we had a rummage - it's there, under all that wool!   

[Jukes Mum]

My girls have huge woolly udders but this is their second pregnancy so I assume that does make a difference. Are their 'lady parts' looking swollen?

[princesslayer]

I think they are, but I don't have enough experience of normal sheep lady parts to say! They've been that way for a couple of weeks now at least. Would that be normal?

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Relax Princess,


   they will be pregnant. Don't stress them out buy gathering them up and rummaging about; Some show more than others and shearlings dont always show that much. The first milk that comes through is the colostrum and tiny lambies dont take much in a feed in the first few hours so you will probably find that the udders grow much more once milk production is stimulated by the first few sucks.


 Besides, lets think it through. If you did catch them up and stress them out having a rummage and they didn't seem to have an udder then what? You couldn't be sure that they weren't going to lamb so you would have to continue treating them as if they were in lamb until at day 153 or so you finally realised that they were just fat.


I know that you are excited and anxious but we cant know what we cant know now can we?


Ah us girls, we are always planning ahead.It will be fine, put the kettle on.

[Marches Farmer]

Absolutely.  They'll lamb in their own time and bag up in their own time too.  Supermodels manage to feed their offspring and they're certainly not built like champion Holstein Friesians!

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Ha ha!


       

[princesslayer]

Don't worry, I'm not intending to have a feel, the last time they were touched is when they were moved to their lambing field 4-5 weeks ago. I'm just beginning to gain their trust.

Seems like udders in shearlings might be missable, I'll go and have a cup of tea!!

P.S. As an experienced breastfeeder and supporter, I agree that udder size does not equal feeding ability!!  (.)(.)

[Dogwalker]

One of my expectant shearlings has an udder bigger than the dairy goats another hardly shows at all.
Also getting fed up waiting.  One lambed last friday, another should have but hasn't yet.  It's getting annoying waiting but the lambs are safest inside till their ready to appear.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

There once were two ewes from Devizes,   


who had udders of different sizes,

[/size][size=78%]one was so small it was ner there at all,[/size]


[/size]and the other so big it won prizes![size=78%]

[Beeducked]

I'm also waiting on tenterhooks for my first lambs. I have 3 with enormous udders that I have been expecting to lamb for almost 2 weeks now!!!

[trish.farm]

I'm also waiting on tenterhooks for my first lambs. I have 3 with enormous udders that I have been expecting to lamb for almost 2 weeks now!!!

 

I assume that means you have 3 ewes with enormous udders?!!! 

[Beeducked]

Yes! That's what I meant!