Checking Out Your Rams

Do not leave the forthcoming breeding season to chance. 

Ideally you should think of buying your new ram now so he has time to acclimatise to his new surroundings and to your system.  For instance it will take him at least three weeks to adjust to any new diet.  Bringing him onto the farm, only a few days before putting him out with the ewes, leaves ‘the girls’ open to preventable problems and the effects of a less then ideal sire.  Merely crossing your fingers and waiting to find out if he has done a good job is not a financially sound option.  Neither does it result in a stress free shepherd.

Taking the beginning of November as the date from which he is required to work; your ram’s semen will have been made seven weeks before.  Therefore, you can see the need for your ram to be on farm well in advance of working so you can highlight any potential problems and put remedial actions in place.

The ram’s diet should be supplemented with high quality protein to build up testicle tone and improve semen production, however, avoid high intakes of magnesium and calcium.  You should aim for a body condition of 3.5 – 4.0 of bodyweight during mating.  He will need all this energy as he will lose up to 15% of bodyweight during tupping.

If, for some reason, your ram has not been shorn, do this immediately to avoid heat stress. Also vaccinate against Clostridia, Pasteurella and external and internal parasites.  When talking to your vet ask for advice on vitamin and/or trace element deficiencies.  There have been instances of fly strike reported this autumn and if your ram has been affected this will have caused stress and may have affected his fertility so needs to be taken into account.

It is vital to card grade your ram and make sure he is of suitable quality for breeding.  Check his incisor teeth and molars to make sure he can eat well enough to gain weight before working.  Good position of teeth on the dental pad is essential when choosing an ideal ram.  It is also important to check his movement, as foot-rot and other infections can reduce fertility by raising his temperature and slowing him down.

Last, but not least, check the ram’s testicles and yes, size does matter!  They should feel large and firm; softer testicles produce less semen which is a disadvantage if he is serving many ewes.  If you feel any lumps or bumps consult your vet who may suggest fertility testing which is infinitely more acceptable than reaching April and realising your ram has not worked successfully.  The testicles should move freely within the scrotum which should also be lesion free.  The epididiymis at the bottom of each testicle should also feel firm.   The larger the testicles the more sperm are produced.

The above advice may be considered to be aimed mainly at commercial sheep production and, therefore, irrelevant to rare and primitive breeds.  I disagree; we owe it to our sheep to do the best possible job employing good husbandry and healthy working conditions for our stock.  We will reap the benefits of long lived and healthy breeding stock producing quality lambs.  This will result in valuable surplus animals for sale and quality meat for the table.

Choose carefully and observe your ram after turning out to make sure he is working well and while watching congratulate yourselves on the part your good husbandry has played in getting your ram out with his ewes in the best possible condition.  Good luck for a productive and successful 2012.

MOT your Ewes

It is also a good idea to check out the condition of the ewes you intend to put to the ram this year.    

Your ewes are probably not at their best having worked hard rearing their lambs during what has proved quite a difficult summer due to the lack of rain and, therefore, lack of grass.  Check them over in a similar way to the rams:

• Check their feet for foot rot and other infections - treat as necessary.

• Turn over and check their udders for signs of lesions or mastitis and treat accordingly.

• If the condition of your ewes is poor give them some extra ‘grub’ ahead of the breeding season, however, breeding ewes should not be fat.

• Make difficult decisions on aged ewes and any ewes that have had mastitis, have a blind quarter or have a record of difficult lambing.

• Choose ewe lambs to be kept for breeding using the CMSS ‘card grading’ criteria checking good udder and teat confirmation.

Worming should be undertaken as part of a worming programme as indicated in the article that appeared in your Summer 2011 Newsletter.