Flock Management - Raising Sheep - page 270

■ “Hopple,” “yoke,” or “clog” the ram — all of which are old European
practices.
“Hoppling” a ram (the modern term is hobbling ) was an old system of fas-
tening the ends of a broad leather strap to a foreleg and a hind leg, just above
the pastern joints, leaving the legs at about the natural distance apart. This
discourages rams from butting each other or people, because they are unable
to charge from any distance and little damage can be done if they can't run.
They may stand close and push each other around but will do nothing drastic.
Hoppling also keeps them from jumping the fence, which rams sometimes do
if ewes are in the adjoining pasture.
“Yoking” is fastening two rams together, 2 or 3 feet (0.6 or 0.9 m) apart,
by bows or straps around their necks, fastened to a light board, like a 2-inch
by 3-inch (5.1 cm by 7.6 cm) piece of lumber. Both yoking and hoppling
necessitate keeping an eye on the rams to be sure that they do not become
entangled.
In “clogging,” you fasten a piece of wood to one foreleg by a leather strap.
This slows down and discourages both fi ghting and fence jumping. Close
watching is not necessary.
Ewes
No single ewe has a major impact on your production, but as a collective body,
these animals are crucial to success.
Before the breeding season begins, some preparation will make it more
successful. Test your ewes (and the ram) for worms, and deworm them as
necessary. Also check everybody for keds and other problems. Trim any wool
tags from around the tail, and trim their feet, because they'll be carrying extra
weight during pregnancy, and it is important for their feet to be in good con-
dition. By taking care of small problems now, you reduce the chances for
more-serious problems later. For instance, if you eliminate ticks before lamb-
ing, none will get on the lambs and you will not have to treat for ticks again.
Seventeen days before you want to start breeding, put your ram in a pas-
ture adjacent to the ewes, with a solid fence between them. Research has
shown that the sound and scent of the ram bring the ewes into heat earlier.
Some owners of large fl ocks use a castrated male, or wether, to stimulate
the onset of estrus in the fl ock. This “teaser” is turned out with the ewes about
3 weeks before breeding. Since it always seems that the male lambs make the