[Richmond]

Using our ram one more time this season and then he's up for sale. If no takers he'll have to go in the freezer, so what, in everyone's opinion, is the best time to do this? March? April? May? He will be 3 by then.

[SallyintNorth]

We've sent tups off straight after tupping and had 'em minced just in case - but the meat was beautiful. 

If you want to keep him through to spring, he'll be fine anytime.  The meat tastes sweeter once they've been eating grass for a few weeks.  Where I am, the grass thinks it's still winter until halfway through April, but we're often short of grass for lambing, so the tup would either have to hang around until mid May or so, or be going off without much new grass in his belly.  Personally, I'd be guided by conditions and management considerations, rather than optimising meat quality for one tup.  But if you have no constraints, then whenever he can have been having nice fresh grass for a month. 

[Bywaters]

I've read conflicting stuff on whether to send a ram outside of tupping time - in the main the advice seems to be before the testosterone levels get high or after

Anyone any actual experience of this ?
Sally - you  seem to have, from your comments above  What is your view please?

[SallyintNorth]

As I said, we have sent tups off after tupping and never had any issues with the meat we got back.  But, like boar taint, it could be one of those things that doesn't always happen but *can* happen.  So if you want there to be no risk and it's not a problem to keep him till spring, then do that.  If you'd rather have him away and would be okay if you were unlucky and ended up with mince that needs curried and/or fed to the dogs, I'd send him off now.