How close to ovulation?

[BaierBalls]

I have a question about a female Mojave I am breeding this season. She is a smaller female that I have never been able to get much over 1200g, but is close to four years old, so I decided to breed her this season.

I am thinking she must be getting close to ovulation, but I have never been good at feeling for follicles... She has been showing building activity for a few months now.

Here is all the breeding activity I have logged for this female:

8-29 - 1,205 g

8-31 - lock w lesser

9-15 - lock w lesser

10-7 lock w lesser

10-30 shed

10-31 - 1,310 g

11-13 lock w lesser

12-2 lock w lesser

1-5-13 shed
Start glow
Stared refusing food

2-5-13 lock w lesser

2-20-13 - 1,404 g

I believe the next thing I should be looking for is ovulation/pre-lay shed(if I miss ovulation), correct? I guess I just thought it would have happened by now. Does it look like I should be close?

[joebad976]

It is hard to tell by the feed card stats you provided. Starting to Glow is a positive but they can glow for a while. Once they ovy the glow usually goes away and then they shed a couple of weeks after the ovy.

Look up some youtube videos on how to palpate(Ralph Davis and Justin Kolbyka have the best how to's IMO). It took me a while but I figured it out last year and it is a great way to know where your females are at in the cycle. If the follicles are there and a good size you will know right away. If they are small it is harder to tell.

Another trick you can try is hold her up kind of by her head and let her drape down. Look at the midpoint of her body down and if the follicles are getting bigger you should see a bulge. If she ovy'd you can almost count the eggs.

Hope this helps.