[twizzel]

Normally when she’s been tupped twice, it’s on 2 cycles, 17 days apart. So she’s not held the first service, so returned again. If all your ewes do this, you have a problem with the ram. She won’t stand for a ram if she’s in lamb already.


Some people use different coloured raddles to see which ram has mated each ewe.



Though if you’re not bothered whether your ewes get in lamb or not, there’s no real need to raddle the ram.

[Mamohau]

aha, thank you very much!  I must have known the 17 days then, just forgotten for the moment!  I'm a bit absent-minded.

[SavageU]

Thinking about my own tupping errors.

If Input my ram in say 1st Sept.

Allow 2 weeks as a teaser, introducing himself. DonI guesstimate him serving them twice (or some on one date the others 17 days later if he missed 1st cycle).

I’m panicking a bit about lambing dates and if this is roughly the case, that would be helpful.

[SallyintNorth]

Personally I'd assume all ewes tupped between 1st and 18th Sept.  You might get a few or even most go into second cycle, but you don't want to be not watching (nor not have passive immunity established if you vaccinate) earlier.

[Rosemary]

Thinking about my own tupping errors.

If Input my ram in say 1st Sept.

Allow 2 weeks as a teaser, introducing himself. DonI guesstimate him serving them twice (or some on one date the others 17 days later if he missed 1st cycle).

I’m panicking a bit about lambing dates and if this is roughly the case, that would be helpful.

You can't use an entire tup as a "teaser" by putting him in the same field. There's no courting no introductions. If the ewe's inseason, he'll serve her.
A teaser is a vasectomised ram - all the smell and instrincts, just no sperm. He's not a "remarkably civilised ram".

We used to "tease" our Ryelands by putting the tup in the field NEXT TO THEM for a couple of weeks. You can do that with Ryelands because they're not the most agile of sheep.

[twizzel]

An entire ram will act as a teaser though for any ewes not naturally cycling when he goes in, so whilst you may get a few tupped that are cycling, if any aren’t, he should bring them into season within a fortnight of being introduced with them. Next year use raddle, it makes life so much easier knowing who to watch and when! On previous years when I haven’t used a teaser and have put the ram in early (mid September) the first fortnight had a few ewes tupped and the second fortnight they really got going. Now I use a teaser and put him in mid September; the rams go straight to work as soon as they go in with the ewes on October 1st. 


I would be ready for lambs as if they were served when the ram was introduced on sept 1st, but I expect they may have a quiet fortnight and then kick off a couple of weeks in.


FWIW my teaser ram still thinks he’s the real deal, he will “tup” anything that comes into season when he’s in with them, but he isn’t firing anything.