Getting ewes to full potential for breeding

Are your ewes being nurtured to full potential to give the best mating outcome possible?

Now is the time to maintain good body condition in ewes, grow young stock well and be prepared to cope with animal health problems or drought.

The correct preparation of your ewes in the month before mating is very important.  This can have a positive effect on fertilisation and their lambing percentages. It automatically improves the wean percentage, which means that there are more lambs to market and a larger selection pool for replacement ewes.

Sheep are seasonal breeders and are at their most fertile when the days start to get shorter in the autumn. However, most flocks are totally or partially mated out of the normal mating season, for example, the spring mating season. With the correct preparation, the negative effect of breeding out of season can be overcome. 

Ensure that the necessary vaccines that are required before the mating season are up to date and that your stocks’ levels of trace elements and vitamins A and E are optimal. 

In the three to four weeks before breeding, the ewes should receive good nutrition to ensure that their weight constantly increases, but should be watched to make sure they don’t become too fat. This can be done in the form of providing good pasture or supplemental feed.  It may also be useful to de-worm your stock at this time.

There are a few key management aspects that are critical as part of the breeding season preparations. To optimise successful breeding you should check the ewes’:

- udders before starting to prepare them and cull any ewes with damaged udders which would prevent them from raising a lamb properly;

- feet to ensure that their hooves are not deformed or overgrown; and

- mouths and cull those where the teeth are worn, especially in extensive circumstances – if they cannot graze properly, it will have a negative effect on their condition, which may be especially detrimental at lambing time.

Rectify this now rather than during mating season.  Spend your time and money on ewes that can benefit optimally from this preparation.