[lizzypeg]

the ewe lambs we got last year are looking to be getting round bellies...what stage of pregnancy do they start to show and any ways of knowing if are except scanning...just so we can try to work out dates for possible lambing.

[colliewoman]

Some of mine are showing already, they were tupped in December, some of mine wont ever show really.
Where abouts are you hun? I am having mine scanned at the end of the month, you are more than welcome to bring yours over and have them done in the trailer at the same time if you wish?
I am in Somerset

[lizzypeg]

hi we are north kent to bit far but thanks for the offer and advice

[lizzypeg]

we got them end oct/early november..they guy said they could be when i got intouch to ask earlier...

[colliewoman]

If they were tupped then they would be due end of March, beginning of April so lamb growth will really kick in now, what is their condition like? Can you get them scanned at all?
With ewe lambs I think I would want to know for sure so I could feed etc. I didn't scan mine last year but they were all tupped and no one returned to service. We assumed (correctly) that they were all in lamb.
My girls did show last year but not til about the stage yours would be at if they are in lamb. A week of not being sure by looking at them, then suddenly it was very obvious!

[shep53]

If i read this correctly you bought them end oct and you have no ram ?? then they should lamb by the end of march ,so max 7wk's till finish, ewe lambs should all have udder development and a pink vulva, very easy to tell if in lamb unlike ewe's

[lizzypeg]

hi yes got them as lawn mowers in end oct...
they are all in good condition , been on grass, hay and a handful of nuts daily since december...our grass was good until then, no we haven't got a ram, well we just got one but hes only been here two weeks and not shown any interest..
we got a new ewe lamb along with the ram lamb 2 weeks ago from same guy and he said she prob is in lamb and will be due april if is..shes deffinately got a rounder belly but was also in less well condition than ours as he lives them out on not so good grazing as ours and doesnt hay/cake regularly so even though the 2 new ones are same age as our ones they are half the size and height and in less well covered condition...they are all shetland or shetland cross.

[Blacksheep]

It won't do them any harm to feed them as if they are in lamb if they turn out not to be so probably worth considering starting them on a ration for being inlamb.   Worth checking their udder development regularly and you will soon notice when they start to develop an udder and get close to lambing. Good Luck!

[lizzypeg]

stupid question again but how close to lambing does the udder stay fully developed..im guessing it may be like horses where the udder goes up and down a bit before filling and staying full closer to foaling?

[ZaktheLad]

I have 1 x ewe lamb due beginning of April and her belly is showing already.

[colliewoman]

I guess my girls are different then, as mine didn't show that early. But then my girls didn't get big udders til their lambs were a week old. Right up to lambing I couldn't see teats
Mine are Shetland x Castemilks. This time though I can already see baby bellies

[Bionic]

I have Ryelands, 2 due mid march, one a week later and 1 first week of april. You can see the round bellies on all of them. The ones due first are the roundest of course
Sally

[TheCaptain]

depends on the breed i expect but my two texel X ewe lambs that my Portland ram got to (i.e. not purposefully tupped!) had an udder develop over five weeks! = many sleepless nights and early mornings and scratching of head as to whether I had got my dates right. turns out I was just panicing and they lambed pretty much on their due date!

[Marches Farmer]

Some ewe do look very pregnant and some don't - much like humans!  I'd assume they are and start feeding and planning their booster for clostridial diseases.

[lizzypeg]

we only vaccinated them all in dec with lambivac so will re vaccinating them again soon hurt as wernt due until june