are there she orcs??

[The Saucepan Man]

You think it might take Saruman awhile to wait for thousands & thousands of Uruk-Hai babies to grow up to, even say 20, until he warred against Rohan?

According to the Tale of Years in the Appendices, Saruman withdrew to Isengard and fortified it in TA 2953. At the same time, he started setting spies on Gandalf and began keeping agents in Bree and the Southfarthing. He first used the Palantir of Orthanc, and became ensnared by Sauron, in about TA 3000. Even if you take the later date (which is the more likely), that's sufficient time to enlist Orcs to his service and to breed more for an army. I'm sure that Orcs were old enough to fight by 18.

[The Only Real Estel]

I'm sure that Orcs were old enough to fight by 18.

Maybe that would explain why they can't fight at all, draft them when they're 18, give 'em a scimitar, & send 'em out?

But still, even with 47 years, that's not all that long to raise 10,000. Although I suppose it depends on wether the Uruks-Hai breed is as agressive everwhere as it is on the battlefield...

[dragoneyes]

If Orcs reproduce sexually then surely they would go through a period of time when they are young when they can't fend for themselves. I really want to believe they reproduced sexually but I just can't see an Orc, female or otherwise nursing a baby, unless they're more like fish in that they produce a lot in one go but then leave them to fend for themselves.

[Annalaliath]

go here

And here
Like has been said a few times before this has been discussed before.... anyway I think that we didn't see the orc women because you wouldn't see them all the time and this book was written from the victors(hobbits) point of veiw not the orc's.

[rutslegolas]

Well the question still seems to hang whether there are she-orcs or no??

but i do not think that orcs reproduce sexually,and where do they breed their young ones????

well can some of the scholars please help??

[Annalaliath]

umm.... I think that the orcs reproduce sexually I need to look some stuff up for you and I also am going to repeate myself..... This book was written from the victor's point of veiw.... hence the reason we don't hear much if any tell of orc women and children.... please please, rutslegolas, look at the links in my post above. I know that you don't think that orcs reproduced sexually but you should check out these old discussions. I will get back to you on this when I get my books out.

but orcs were perverted not wholey differnt creatures.... Morgoth could not create so he had to resourt to deforming an existing creation. so when it comes to the reproduction of these beings they still reproduced in the way of the children of Iluvitar.... Like I said I will find you the referance and stuff.

[Mad Baggins]

Think of horse breeders. They have mares and stallions. They take the stallions around and breed them to all the mares they can, to produce top-of-the-line foals. Some breeders even breed the mares right after they produce the foal.

This may sound a little twisted, but twisted is what Saruman became, so: Couldn't it be possible that Saruman did the same thing? Also, we are assuming that he did not have many to begin with; perhaps he had five thousand. 47 years is more than enough to produce 10,000 from 5,000. Or is it?

I really want to believe they reproduced sexually but I just can't see an Orc, female or otherwise nursing a baby, unless they're more like fish in that they produce a lot in one go but then leave them to fend for themselves.

I think that they would produce them and then leave them.