-
SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 158
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY BREED YOUR EWES:
Earlier, we touched, in brief, some of the factors that you will want to take into account for your breeding schedule, the following are additional:
1. Daylight hours: All sheep are photosensitive, and this means that reproductive activity is affected by the length of daylight. In the autumn and winter reproductive activity is highest and ewes are able to be bred in these seasons. There are some ewes that can be bred year round, but their ovulation rate falls during the spring and summer months, and this can mean that if you breed them out of season, you may have fewer lambs.
2. Weather: During hot weather, rams may become temporarily infertile, and ewes that have been successfully bred run the risk of miscarrying.
3. Age: On average ewe lambs generally begin cycling later than mature ewes, but don't have such a strong heat, neither do they release as many eggs per ovulation. Reproductive activity may be less in older ewes.
4. Nutrition: Feeding ewes additional feed for 2 to 3 weeks before breeding, or increasing the level of nutrition, increases a ewe's reproductive activity.
5.Health: When ewes and rams are in good health, more lambs are conceived and born with a greater rate of survival.
Early and late lambing:
Early Lambing
The advantages of early lambing include:
Earlier, we touched, in brief, some of the factors that you will want to take into account for your breeding schedule, the following are additional:
1. Daylight hours: All sheep are photosensitive, and this means that reproductive activity is affected by the length of daylight. In the autumn and winter reproductive activity is highest and ewes are able to be bred in these seasons. There are some ewes that can be bred year round, but their ovulation rate falls during the spring and summer months, and this can mean that if you breed them out of season, you may have fewer lambs.
2. Weather: During hot weather, rams may become temporarily infertile, and ewes that have been successfully bred run the risk of miscarrying.
3. Age: On average ewe lambs generally begin cycling later than mature ewes, but don't have such a strong heat, neither do they release as many eggs per ovulation. Reproductive activity may be less in older ewes.
4. Nutrition: Feeding ewes additional feed for 2 to 3 weeks before breeding, or increasing the level of nutrition, increases a ewe's reproductive activity.
5.Health: When ewes and rams are in good health, more lambs are conceived and born with a greater rate of survival.
Early and late lambing:
Early Lambing
The advantages of early lambing include: