The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: SR on June 02, 2020, 03:08:33 pm
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Hi am studying an online course on sheep & am a bit stumped on the difference between breeding by hand & individual.
I read something on hand breeding which said it is when you use a teaser to work out which ewes are in heat then put them with the ram you want to cover them. Individual is when you specifically pick a ewe + ram to breed to improve genetic traits. Is that correct or is artificial insemination the hand breeding one?
Any advice appreciated!
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I think all of the methods you mention are the same and certainly not common in the uk in sheep , in pigs /cows /horses you stimulate the female with a male , vasectomized or not ( or cattle other cattle ) and you then put a specific male in to mate or you use AI . I have read of shepherds having very old stock rams whose blood line they still want to use but they cannot risk putting out to run after ewes and compete ,so they are kept in a shed and a hand full of ewes are kept in the next pen and when they are seen to be really interested in each other a ewe is let in to the rams pen to be served by him several times then removed back to the ewes and so on with each ewe , In most situations hormone treatment is used to synchronise the ewes so that they can be served naturally or by AI in a group for a tight lambing
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Thanks again shep53 - the online course is rather Australian based which is a bit of a pain + maybe that is where the question might be more relevant. Your info is helpful. Many thanks.