If you haven't paired her palpating is unnecessary since she won't have grown any follicles yet.
Females going off feed is not an indicator of being ready to breed, that's a rumor that never seems to go away.
This time of year, females that are typically bred in season are ravenous and want to eat more not less.
I have females practically lunging out of their tubs to snatch up their meals because they know what's coming.
Actually, the Barkers talk about females going off feed indicating a desire to breed in their book.