# Breeding age?



## Jesse L (Nov 6, 2008)

Hi there,

Extreme newbie question; how old should the ewe be when she is bred for the first time?

And how old should you stop breeding at?

Thanks,


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Depends on the breed. My Leicester long wools could be bred their first winter.
My Cotswold grow slower and they shouldn't be bred till the following winter.

Breed till production slows or goes south. When a ewe is getting to old she will start having probs, not regaining vigor after birthing/weaning, low weight lambs, low milk production, udder gets to saggy, etc and its time to quit.


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## Jesse L (Nov 6, 2008)

RiverPines said:


> Depends on the breed. My Leicester long wools could be bred their first winter.
> My Cotswold grow slower and they shouldn't be bred till the following winter.
> 
> Breed till production slows or goes south. When a ewe is getting to old she will start having probs, not regaining vigor after birthing/weaning, low weight lambs, low milk production, udder gets to saggy, etc and its time to quit.


Ok thanks.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Generally they can be bred once they reach 3/4 of their adult size.
If bred at 7 months, they will be a year old when they lamb, but as was stated, it's often better to wait and let them grow full before the first breeding.

I think the ewes do better when older, and tend to be larger if not bred the first year

I've heard of ewes being bred as old as 14 years, for Dorpers anyway


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

It is entirely up to you and how greedy you want to be as to when you put your ewes to the ram for the first time. Remember that when you put a lamb to the ram she is still growing herself and then is expected to carry a lamb. I don't do hogget lambing and would prefer to carry my replacement ewes over to the following year when they are well grown.

In commercial flocks most ewes are culled by the time they are 7-8 years old but in smaller flocks where it's easier to keep an eye on the individual sheep and give them better care, it is possible for them to continue lambing until they are 10-12 years of age. Much past that and you can expect problems with low birth weights, weak lambs, insufficient milk and ewes themselves not holding condition because of worn teeth. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Caitedid (Jun 2, 2004)

I'm having the same question about my Katahdin cross ewe lambs, but two of my lambs at five months are already bigger than their mother. Can I go ahead and breed them this fall or should I still wait? Caite


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

I guess I must be a greedy one according to Ronney. I breed mine at 7-8 months of age. The last couple of months before lambing she will need good feed.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Caitedid said:


> I'm having the same question about my Katahdin cross ewe lambs, but two of my lambs at five months are already bigger than their mother. Can I go ahead and breed them this fall or should I still wait? Caite


I'd probably breed them at that size and age.
Just feed them WELL


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm another one that likes to breed ewe lambs to lamb around 12 months. About half of our wool ewe lambs will settle and almost all of the Katahdins and Kat crosses do. I especially like the yearling ewes that have good twins.

Our yearling ewes do a good job raising their lambs. They are in good shape at breeding but not over-fat.

Peg


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

I do mine at 8-9 months. I like to get at least to 13 months but this year I had a ewe lamb lamb on her one year birthday twins. Then again, she was part finn and very finn in appearance and obviously, reproductively. I wouldn't let my dorsets do that.


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## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

i'm a greedy one also-lamb at 12 months.Why waste a years production?Heck, a majority of my ewe lambs twin,and do fine.Its a total non issue.


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