Breeding Ewes _Swaledale Sheep Flock _ Close-up Flock of Sheep in Hawes , Cumbria , UK
Sheep with a coloured mark somewhere on their bodies is a mark of ownership, each farm will have it's own unique mark. Tups/rams are sometimes put into a harness at mating time. These harnesses have a coloured, waxy block in them, which leave a mark on the ewe when mounted, this way we know which ewes have been mated with and which haven't. After 3 weeks the colour of the crayon is changed, and any ewe that is re-mated gets the 2nd colour on her and we know she is going to be a late lamber. Ewes only begin to visibly show a pregnancy about six weeks before giving birth, so shepherds often rely on the assumption that a ram will impregnate all the ewes in a flock. However, by fitting a ram with a chest harness called a marking harness that holds a special crayon (or raddle, sometimes spelled reddle), ewes that have been mounted are marked with a color. Dye may also be directly applied to the ram's brisket. This measure is not used in flocks where wool is important, since the color of a raddle contaminates it.
Size: 3820px × 2547px
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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