breeding

[katahdinherder]

I have Katahdin sheep that are close to one year old. But the ram is not even trying to breed the ewes. How old and when do they start to breed? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

kh

[Bill Fosher]

Usually ewes will become sexually mature and active somewhere between five months and eight months of age, particularly if they reach this age when the day length is shortening. Katahdins have a pretty long breeding season, so daylength wouldn't be as much of a concern with them. Body size and nutrition also play a role. Ewe lambs that are small for their age will be later to start to cycle.

 

I'd think it pretty unusual if they hadn't been cycling for a few months now. Here are some possibilities:

 

1.) They are already bred and you just didn't see the activities. Some gentlemen are discreet.

 

2.) They were bred by him or another ram (ram lamb?) before you realized they were cycling. This is a common problem in flocks that don't castrate ram lambs.

 

3.) The ram is a slow worker or has low libido. Dorpers are notorious for this. I know one shepherd who tried a Dorper ram and it took him eight weeks to settle 30 ewes.

 

4.) The ram is a dud, sick, injured, or otherwise unsound for breeding.

 

The only ways to know for sure is to expose them to another ram and see if he is interested or to ultrasound the ewe lambs and see if they're in lamb.

[NorthfieldNick]

I keep a Katahdin ram around to breed my first-timers to- love those small lambs that come out bouncing. I have seen him breed exactly ONE ewe, but every ewe I've exposed to him has lambed. He's very seeet & spends a lot of time courting, but he likes his privacy, I guess.

 

Bill is right- expose them to another ram... or wait 145 days.

[Pipedream Farm]

Last year we didn't see our new katahdin ram breed; but our ewes lambed within 3 days of one another.

 

Mark