Not every female follows the normal calendar so it's not a hard rule, but generally you still have plenty of time and you started at the correct time. Late Dec and Jan pairings are mostly a warm up, and the most important window is more late Feb - early March. I'd aim for a lock per month until you have signs you are past the window. The signs you are past it are going to be larger than a quarter size follicles if you palpate or ultrasound, locks no longer happening, and ovulation. Fasting can sometimes help understand where they are in the cycle, but its a lot rougher of an estimate. I have females who start fasting long before the window ends, and females who don't fast until right before ovulation. Once the breeding window closes, there is still a gap before ovulation, and ovulation is the point where either the eggs get fertilized and will be laid, or they get reabsorbed.
Palpating takes practice. Watch some videos on it to get some idea of what you are supposed to do. I like to feel them as they are going back into their tub, and I will redo it if they tense up too much at the point where the follicles are.
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