I have sequestered the rams to prevent them from breeding our ewes just yet. I have been racing against nature this summer to finish enough fencing to have a place to put them, and finished this paddock just in time- I could see one ewe coming into heat and them showing interest in her. Ewes generally start coming into heat when the days start getting shorter, so it was time.
It’s not the end of the world if I have some breedings happen now, but I’m hoping to delay most of them until sometime in October. I haven’t picked an exact date yet. My plan is to have later spring lambs, and probably time them to come after daylight savings time, when it’s easier to do evening chores with a little more daylight.
My plan is to also separate them into two groups, so I can choose which ram sires which lambs next year. For now, they are hanging out with the llama in the pasture next door to the rest of the sheep.