The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Foobar on April 24, 2015, 10:04:35 am
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So, this year I sponged all my ewes and ewe lambs, in the hope that I would have to take less days off work. Here are the results:
[sponging without PMSG injection, as I just wanted to compact them not bring them forward, ram went in 48 hours after sponge removal and each female was mated one at a time, with a rest for the ram in between each, ram then remained in with the females throughout winter]
1st group (9 ewes) sponged then tupped on 19 October, so due around 15th March.
results: 8 ewes lambed between 13th and 18th March (perfect!). 9th ewe lambed 18 days later. 5 sets of twins and 4 singles - rather disappointing as usually all my adult ewes twin :(.
2nd group (6 ewe lambs) sponged then tupped on 8th Nov (ram in 48 hours after sponge removal), so due around 4th April (aka Easter).
results: 3 lambed between 5th & 7th April (perfect), 2 lambed totally randomly after that (one yesterday) ... and one that doesn't even look pregnant at all. Ug. All that did lamb had singles which is perfect.
Would I bother sponging again? Hmm....dunno. All the ewes were flushed as usual, so I was disappointed with the number of singles - is that common when sponging? I tried to time the mating of the ewe-lambs around the date that they have conceived in previous years to ensure that they are cycling, but it appears not to have worked so well, now I have lambs only just born that won't finish before winter :(. I think maybe next year I will sponge the ewes and just leave the ewe lambs to do their own thing (as I very rarely have to assist them anyway).
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No it shouldn't affect litter size in those circumstances. I agree, don't sponge ewe lambs its a pain. A teaser might be a good idea though with them (with or without sponges)
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I thought about a teaser, but I have limited space so the teaser would reduce my number of breeding ewes by one, plus the risk of my ram and the teaser fighting.
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Yes, when the starving donkey looking teaser KO's your best ram its not funny! :o
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I sponged and will do it again.
2 groups of coloured (8) and white (6) Shetlands to be tupped by different tups - total 14 ewes
Coloured tup introduced to his group on Nov 22nd - all ewes tupped within 24 hours, white tup went to his group on 23rd Nov, again all tupped within 24 hours - due date to start lambing 17/18th April. No repeat tuppings 17 days or so later.
One lambed a bit early on 14th, then 12 lambed between April 16th and 19th, and I am still waiting on one ewe (she has an udder so could be anytime now).
Lambing % 169%, with one ewe remaining.
VERY PLEASED!
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i sponged all my ewes , first thing when the sponges came out and the teaser ram went in after 1 day the teaser ram came out an real ram went in ,an we had a result of all twins with the hogs and the older ewes no pmsg was used with them (had 6 peds AI ed they got pmsg) and all lambed within 3 days of each other and we sponge every year an hardly ever get singles...i would definitely sponge again
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Ewe lambs usually only give singles anyway, most of my ewe lambs gave singles and only a few doubles. Triplets and quads are very rare in ewe lambs.
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Ewe lambs usually only give singles anyway, most of my ewe lambs gave singles and only a few doubles. Triplets and quads are very rare in ewe lambs.
Indeed. I wasn't complaining about ewe lambs with singles. :)