Use rams smell to synchronise naturally
Use rams smell to synchronise naturally
RAMS should be being kept out of smelling distance of ewes until days before tupping for an optimum lambing percentage and short lambing period.
Hans Pörksen, who gave up college lecturing to farm, told a North Sheep 2000 seminar that the natural smell of ram pheromones can then be used as a form of natural ewe synchronisation.
Its a policy that has seen him achieve his target lambing percentage of 170, with over 90% lambing in the first two weeks for a number of years. He runs a total of 580 Blackface and Mule ewes at Gall-owshill, Morpeth, Northumberland.
From lambing until eight days before tupping begins ewes and rams never come into contact, even when handling them.
"Rams are always handled last when sheep are in the pens. I keep them right away from ewes from lambing, hopefully. With a silage field between them."
But rams are not neglected. They are given a vitamin E supplement 10 weeks before tupping and supplementary feeding to reach a condition score of four. All stressful operations such as foot trimming are completed two months before tupping begins, said Mr Pörksen.
Timing crucial
Then five to eight days before tupping ewes are exposed to the rams smell when they are brought in for tailing, footbathing and a dose against internal parasites. This timing is crucial to the systems success.
"On many farms they complain nothing happens for a week after tups go in. This means ewes are synchronised but at the wrong time," said Mr Pörksen.
On the day ewes are coming in the rams are let into all handling pens early in the morning. "Then a group are penned next to the race where we are working. We change this group over during the day.
"When ewes come in they are sniffing at and smelling the tups around the pens. All ewes come into smelling contact with a ram.
"Ewes which are not already cycling come on heat the next day. This is a silent, unfertile heat. But they come into their first fertile heat nine to 11 or 16-18 days later. Ones that were already cycling carry on as normal."
Serving ewes to their second heat also means they are likely to be more fertile, according to Australian research, he added.
He does not claim to have devised this system of natural sychronisation. It is based on Moredun research which has not been well publicised, he explained.
But it does mean that in the first 14 days of lambing 92% of Blackfaces and 94% of Mules had lambed this year. This allows labour saving at lambing. He and his wife can lamb the flock with a lambing assistant needed for just four weeks. Blackfaces started lambing on Apr 4 and Mules on Apr 17.
But to achieve his optimum lambing percentage management of rams during tupping, switching them between groups of ewes, and ewe health and nutrition were also important, added Mr Pörksen. *
EWEMANAGEMENT
• Keep away from rams.
• Allow to smell eight days before tupping.