The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Hillview Farm on August 05, 2014, 01:13:54 pm
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Hello all :wave:
I'm sponging my ewes this year in two groups. First group being the Ped Charollais put to the new Ped ram and the second group is my crossbred ewes put to some Ram lambs (max of 5 per lamb).
They will be mated in a pen one at a time (the first time) and then in the two groups let out into different fields.
My question is when do I need to change the colour? After day one? after day two? Then again in two weeks time before the next cycle?
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If you put large numbers on the side of the individual ewe (with the usual spray marker) you can see every morning who has been mated in the last 24 hours. I only change raddle colour every two weeks.
My tup last year was so excited about the ewes (after their sponges had come out and they were on the other side of the fence) that he was not to be caught to get raddle paste on his chest and I just had to let him in with the girls, where he got on to work immediately... he got raddle paste on two weeks later when everything had calmed down, and unfortunately marked 4 of his 6 girls... he's just gone to market :(. Only three of his 6 girls produced live lambs, one had a dead one and two were empty.
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I would have thought non of the ewes would be cycling after say 2 days, not until 17 days later (if at all as they should have taken). I would probably be tempted to raddle after day 2, for 17 days. No raddle for the first mating (in the pen), or the day or so following. Then only if you get some marked would u change the colour?
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Agree why bother raddle for first service, you just need to know who hasn't held