the foibles of inexperienced ewes
For those of you interested in twinning rates, we have some data, but first a couple of comments and several caveats. We do not have any way to analyze the effect of nutrition on whether a ewe has twins. The commercial breeders use a system called “flushing” to get their ewes to twin. It involves […]
Apart from lambing itself, the best part of raising Soay sheep is communicating about them with other breeders, folks interested in starting a flock, researchers looking for various kinds of data, the anonymous readers of our website and this blog, and especially anyone with questions about lambing issues. Most of the time the questions come […]
Some of the indications that a Soay ewe is about to lamb are seen only in an experienced ewe. If she is going to twin, she usually looks like a propane tank. Even if carrying only a single lamb, an older ewe will develop saddlebags and a waddle. The yearling ewes (“gimmers”) who are lambing for the first time exhibit more subtle signs of approaching labor, oftentimes surprising […]