# Wethers and Ewe Lambs Mounting Pregnant Ewes



## Safado (Jun 15, 2009)

I looked out tonight and our pregnant ewes (Katahdin) were head butting each other. This is very rare for these two. One is the dominant one, and I have never seen them but heads more than once, but they were both holding their own. Usually any aggression is just a "git'outta'maway" type, but this was sustained. Stranger than this is the 4 lambs born sometime around February were mounting each other and the two ewes. I have never seen this before. there are two wethers, and two ewes lambs, but they were all trying to mount the pregnant ewes and each other. 

I had been keeping them in thier pen (about 15'X45') while the pasture recovered, but I let them back on the pasture so they could get away from each other if they wanted to. They were distracted for a bit by the lush grass, but soon took to running laps in the pasture. 

I am not really concerned, as they look healthy, but any idea what could have brought this on? I bought them in the middle of May and was told "they were exposed to a Columbian ram for a few weeks around the first of May, maybe the last two weeks of April." They are really starting to fill out, and if my math is right they should lamb sometime from next week to 10/5.

I haven't been able to get a close look at them since, but the wethers seem to have been castrated correctly, so I don't think they were acting on hormones, but i wouldn't really know. 

So? Any Ideas? Is the mounting just them working out their pecking order? Do your sheep do this? Should I be concerned? Could this mean they are not really pregnant?

Thanks for your time.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Most (all?) types of sheep do this; its nothing to be concerned about.


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

Are katahdin known as year around breeders? Most breeds of sheep in northern latitudes usually only cycle when the days are getting shorter. It's a bit of a joke at the sale barn in may ewes sold as running with the buck for 2 months and people think they are getting bred ewes. Good luck your mileage may vary.


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## Safado (Jun 15, 2009)

bruce2288 said:


> Are katahdin known as year around breeders?


My understanding is yes.



bruce2288 said:


> Good luck your mileage may vary.


Trust me, I was more skeptical than you sound. However, from my limited knowledge they look pregnant. They are filling out quite a lot sideways (the legs are still skinnyish, their udders have enlarged, and they are walking a bit different. Like I said, I have limited knowledge and less experience, so it'll be fun to see.


Now I understand there isn't anything about this to be too concerned about, but I am still curious why a ewe lamb would mount a possibly pregnant ewe. Could this mean the ewe isn't really pregnant, as Bruce alludes to? Could the ewe lamb be in "heat?" I imagine there must be some hormones involved, but as the wethers have had their bits removed, I don't think it is coming from them.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Fall gets into the blood and it could just be high spirits. It is also a dominance thing. And it can also be the young ones are starting heat cycles.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

Katahdins can indeed be year-round breeders. That comes from their St. Croix ancestors, since Caribbean sheep tend to be aseasonal cyclers. Our ram lambs are by themselves. The ewe and wether lambs are mounting each other, also an adult ewe in with them for observation. Both the lambs and the adult ewes are also headbutting pretty seriously sometimes. As Emily said, it's about dominance.

If your ewes are bagging up, lambs may be pretty close to arriving. However it takes both ewes and rams to be year-round breeders and Columbias are not known for that. Are you prepared for lambing yet? We try to have frozen colostrum and lamb milk replacer powder on hand just in case, also stuff like an old bath towel for rubbing a lamb dry in an emergency. I'd rather be prepared and not use supplies than have an emergency and need stuff at night or over the weekend.

And don't forget to post lamb photos!

Peg


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

Many sheep can be yearround breeders. Best closer to the tropics where day-nite variations are not so pronounced.. A freind bought a bunch from south texas that were consistanly lamb on a accelerated program about every 8 months. Here in Nebraska they started reverting to seasonal breeding and in about 3 years were mostly spring only lambers. If you set your ewe up. On her butt like you were going to sheat and feel with pressure around her abdomen you can often feel the lambs head. It sound like you indeed have lambs comeing. Congratulations. One tip on lamb preps to add. 50% dextrose sterile solution, from vet. ThIS is a miracle for chilled lambs. I inject about 20cc underskin and if close to death 5cc in the muscle. This will get sugars into the blood stream. A severly chilled lambs digestive system will be very slow so even if you can tube it without getting in the lungs it won't do much good. A rule of thumb if the lamb is so chilled it will not show a shallowing response to the tube do not tube it. You will get the wind pipe as often as the esophagus.


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