[JedM]

My ewes are due to lamb beginning of march, so nearly 6 weeks time.  Is it best to move them now or is it ok nearer lambing??  The later the better really, as the field they are in currently has good quality grass, but i want to move them to the field at my house for lambing.
MT

[Foobar]

By move do you mean transport in a trailer?

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Check the defra site. They should not be transported in the last 15 days of pregnancy. If you do plan to transport them before that just consider how big they are and how stressed they get at handling and plan accordingly.


Move smaller numbers to give space in the trailer and if they get stressed with handling I would probably move them at 4 weeks when I gathered them for vaccinations if it was me. Its about knowing your sheep really but if you have a bunch of excitable head butters I would move sooner rather than later. If they are laid back and a friendly, well bonded flock you could leave it till nearer the cut off time. 

[Marches Farmer]

I agree with Buffy regarding the temperament of the sheep involved.   I personally would move earlier rather than later - depending on weather conditions somtimes mine have lambed up to nine days before their due date (as well as up to six days late).

[JedM]

Foobar - yes, I do mean in a trailer (about a 10 minute journey)

Thanks, they don't get stressed when handling but I'll make sure it's more than 15 days to go.  It's just so much easier and a lot less stress at lambing time if they are near you!

[Rosemary]

Ours love the trailer - I think because they get moved to temporary grazing, so "trailer = new grass", so when you open the back, the hard bit is keeping them off, not getting them on   

[fsmnutter]

There is an exemption when moving animals in late gestation to improve the conditions of birth - moving to the field next to your house for frequent observations would definitely count! So perfectly legal to move immediately before birth.
Depends what the field is like, if it is likely to get very poached if the sheep are on it for a long time, it may be worth leaving until nearly the due date.
However, moving/gathering/stressing sheep at any time in pregnancy can cause abortion, so as suggested, maybe the best time to move would be about 4 weeks before the first due, when vaccinations are being done, so all the gathering and stress is on one day.
Either option would be sensible, just depends what suits your setup best.
Hope it all goes smoothly for you whenever you decide to move them.

[princesslayer]

I did the same as you last year and moved them home for lambing (our first year). They're not super chilled sheep but they don't leap about.

I moved them at four weeks last time but will leave it a bit later this time so they don't scoff all my home grass before the lambs arrive! It's a five minute journey. I don't think I'll go beyond two weeks prior to lambing though.