Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
has to “work,” and 2 weeks is better. Keep him separated from the fl ock and
on good feed and pasture until breeding time. Remember to change his ration
gradually when you fi rst bring him home, and use good judgment in feeding;
excess weight results in a lowering of potency and effi ciency, so keep him in
good condition.
During the breeding season, feed the ram about 1 pound (0.5 kg) of grain
per day, so that if he is too intent on the ewes to graze properly, he will still be
well nourished. Remember that he needs good feed throughout the breeding
season and for a short time thereafter. After all, he's “working” hard!
There are two schools of thought about what to do with a ram after the
ewes are bred: The fi rst school says remove him from the fl ock as soon as
breeding is complete and keep him separated until next breeding season. The
second school says leave him with the fl ock most of the year. Okay, so which
approach should you use? That depends on your breed of sheep and your
management goals. Ask yourself the following questions:
■
Can your breed of sheep breed at a very young age — in other words,
could he breed his daughters before you want them bred?
■
Do you have a breed that can breed out of season? If so, he may rebreed
ewes when you don't want them bred. On the other hand, maybe you
want lambs to be born throughout the year.
■
Do you have facilities where he can easily be kept separated for long
periods? Do you want to deal with a separated critter?
We've always had good luck leaving the ram with the fl ock all summer.
Our ewes dropped their lambs on the pasture in early summer, and since
Karakuls don't typically breed too early, the ram was no problem running with
the group. In early fall, when the hours of daylight started to drop and the
chances of his breeding the ewes came on, we'd move him to a separate pen
until January, when we were ready to breed the ewes. If Karakuls had been a
breed known for breeding throughout the year, we would have separated him
immediately (though Karakuls are known for a longer breeding season than
some other breeds).
Provide a cool, shady place for him in the heat of summer. An elevated
body temperature, whether from heat or from an infection, can cause infertil-
ity. Semen quality is affected at 80°F (26.7°C) and seriously damaged at 90°F
(32.2°C). Several hours at that temperature may leave him infertile for weeks
and ruin any plans you had for early lambing. If your climate is very hot in the
summer, shear his scrotum just before the hot weather; run him on pasture
