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Information sheets   |   Elsenburg infopaks   |   Animals, management: 2

Reproduction management of small stock Afrikaans | Xhosa

Click to enlarge!		 Reproduction, that is the production of offspring, is one of the most important aspects determining the profitability of sheep or goat farming.

Following these recommendations will ensure good reproduction:

Let's first consider the ram:

  • Rams must be functionally efficient and have healthy reproduction organs and strong, healthy legs.
  • Test the rams for fertility. Especially if only a few rams are used, it is essential that they be fertile.
  • Rams must be mating dexterous.
  • Use young rams with old ewes and old rams with young ewes, for mating success.
  • One ram can successfully serve 30 to 50 ewes. If the ewes are kept in large camps, more rams are required, while fewer rams are required in small camps.
  • Rams must be healthy at the time of mating. Certain disease conditions such as fever can cause temporary infertility. A blue tongue injection has the same effect.

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  • Rams must not be older than seven to eight years. Old rams cannot follow ewes over long distances. Their teeth deteriorate and they become too thin.
  • For satisfactory service results the rams must be in a good condition during the mating season. However, they must not be overly fat, because such rams are lazy.
  • Should a ram have to do much walking during the mating season, he must be purchased long before the mating season to give him the opportunity to adjust to the environment. Also be on the alert when expensive, newly purchased rams are let loose in vicinities where many toxic plants occur.

Click to enlarge!		 Recommendations applicable to the ewe:
  • Ensure that the ewes are functionally efficient. A healthy udder with two normal, healthy teats is essential. In areas where ticks occur, the teats must be examined regularly. Ewes that have hard udders as a result of infection or blue bag, as well as ewes with abnormally thick teats, must be culled.

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  • Ewes must not be too old. After five to six lamming seasons, that is at the age of seven to eight years, they must be culled. As is the case with rams, their teeth also get bad and they cannot walk very far to find grazing. As they grow older, they also emaciate.
  • Ewes must also not be overly fat or thin. Young, undermass ewes do not come into season.
  • Ewes must be healthy. If disease conditions and fever occur directly after mating, they can cause the abortion of the fetus. It is preferable that young ewes be 18 months old at their first mating.

Click to enlarge!		 Next we come to the mating season.
  • Plan the mating of ewes so that they will lamb at a time when food is freely available. This will limit the purchasing of expensive feed and the lambs will be marketable at an earlier age. Additionally, the lambs have a better chance of survival.
  • The mating season should preferably not last longer than six weeks. This covers two oestrus cycles. If the mating season is too long, the management of inoculation, dipping and dosing becomes too complicated.
  • During pregnancy, stress must be avoided. During the first three weeks after mating, underfeeding, shearing, dipping or driving the animals over long distances can cause the loss of lambs.
  • Sufficient feeding of the ewe during the last six to eight weeks of pregnancy is essential for the production of strong lambs with good survival abilities.

Click to enlarge!		 Lastly, we shall consider lambing.
  • Lambs must start suckling as soon as possible after birth so as to ingest colostrum that will give them a natural resistance to diseases.
  • Unfavourable conditions such as wind and rain can cause serious losses. Where possible, shelter must be available. Throughout the country a high rate of lamb deaths is one of the most important causes of production losses in sheep.
  • These losses have to be limited by good management.
  • Take care to prevent ewes with lambs from becoming emaciated. The ewe must be able to provide the lamb with enough milk. When the ewe has plenty of milk the lamb grows more quickly and can be weaned sooner. Then the ewe is better able to achieve an acceptable mass after weaning so that she can be ready for the next mating season. If the ewe loses condition during lamming, she often does not become pregnant during the next mating season.

TS Brand
ELSENBURG / Research