Testing Ram fertility

jfh

hi all,
anyone ever test semen from a ram?
we ran a Charolais & lleyn with ewes, almost all lambs are lleyn.
wouldn't mind but we paid enough for the charolais.
thanks

rangler1

jfh wrote: »

hi all,
anyone ever test semen from a ram?
we ran a Charolais & lleyn with ewes, almost all lambs are lleyn.
wouldn't mind but we paid enough for the charolais.
thanks

Our vet does it, so I'm sure if you ask your vet they'll be able to advise you

gazahayes

jfh wrote: »

hi all,
anyone ever test semen from a ram?
we ran a Charolais & lleyn with ewes, almost all lambs are lleyn.
wouldn't mind but we paid enough for the charolais.
thanks

I bought 2 rams to go with 43 ewe lambs last year and only 1 charolais lamb. The lleyn was a hogget and the charolais was a ram lamb tho.

gazahayes

jfh wrote: »

hi all,
anyone ever test semen from a ram?
we ran a Charolais & lleyn with ewes, almost all lambs are lleyn.
wouldn't mind but we paid enough for the charolais.
thanks

I bought 2 rams to go with 43 ewe lambs last year and only 1 charolais lamb. The lleyn was a hogget and the charolais was a ram lamb tho.

jfh

gazahayes wrote: »

I bought 2 rams to go with 43 ewe lambs last year and only 1 charolais lamb. The lleyn was a hogget and the charolais was a ram lamb tho.

We had the charolais running with the ewe's on his own, we put in a really old lleyn hoping the competition might urge him on, nearly all lleyn lambs

Green farmer

Had similar here leaving a ram lamb ( charlaois)in a field with hogget rams(texel) . He didn't service even one. A year later though he seems to be working fine, I've noticed a few lambs with pink ears and fine hair being born !!! Joking aside they all seem to be thriving well in the field.

paddysdream

gazahayes wrote: »

I bought 2 rams to go with 43 ewe lambs last year and only 1 charolais lamb. The lleyn was a hogget and the charolais was a ram lamb tho.

Your answer is in the question.Always use a mature ram with ewe lambs or even hoggets.Heats are shorter,less noticable and a ram lamb will miss a lot of them.

To be honest(despite what pedigree breeders will insist) find ram lambs next to useless.Either they miss a lot of ewes or tip some and fall asunder by winter.If I ever buy a lamb for breeding usually just run him alone for the first year and only put him with ewes as a hogget.

People will say "ah shur throw them a few nuts during the season" etc etc but from a practical point of view try bringing a bucket of nuts into a field of 4 or 5 hundred ewes and see what happens.

Green farmer

paddysdream wrote: »

People will say "ah shur throw them a few nuts during the season" etc etc but from a practical point of view try bringing a bucket of nuts into a field of 4 or 5 hundred ewes and see what happens.

Quickest way to a broken leg !!!

Cran

paddysdream wrote: »

Your answer is in the question.Always use a mature ram with ewe lambs or even hoggets.Heats are shorter,less noticable and a ram lamb will miss a lot of them.

To be honest(despite what pedigree breeders will insist) find ram lambs next to useless.Either they miss a lot of ewes or tip some and fall asunder by winter.If I ever buy a lamb for breeding usually just run him alone for the first year and only put him with ewes as a hogget.

People will say "ah shur throw them a few nuts during the season" etc etc but from a practical point of view try bringing a bucket of nuts into a field of 4 or 5 hundred ewes and see what happens.

Its farmers in Ireland that mainly want ram lambs, its handier for breeders to sell ram lambs and not carry for the winter, but its demand that drives the supply of them over hoggets. I've focused on breeding hoggets over the past few years, and the amount of times someone has said nice sheep but I only buy lambs is incredible. Maybe farmers have an opinion that the hoggets are left over lambs from previous year, only reason I can think off.

I moved to only hoggets here about 6/7 years ago for the main bunch, mainly as guy I bought off moved to April lambing let out 1st Nov and taken out at scanning. You d be pushed to do that with ram lambs pushed for August sales. I do let out good few lambs that are to be kept on as hoggets born normally April, but these are kept handy in bunchs round the house. I take these back out after 17 days and let mature rams capture returns, only do it because I have them handy and saves having to have more rams.

davidk1394

Do any of ye know of anyone who tests rams in the south east. Contacted our own vet and the don't do it and anyone i look up seems to be further up the country

rangler1

davidk1394 wrote: »

Do any of ye know of anyone who tests rams in the south east. Contacted our own vet and the don't do it and anyone i look up seems to be further up the country

wicklow ??????

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/toplink/bull-ram-fertility-testing/41125