[shrekfeet]

I'm thinking ahead to my first year of sheep breeding. Started with a flock with lambs at foot and want to have things in place ready for tupping.

Now I hear that flushing will increase chances of a higher lambing percentage but what are the tricks? We have a reaconable amount of grass at the moment and I'm grazing the whole flock together. Should the ewes be on less grass to allow me to flush before the ram covers them. How long do you flush and how soon? Advice much appreciated.

[hexhammeasure]

ideally the ewes need to be taken down a condition score and then flushed up to a healthy level just as the tup is put in. So long as the ewe is fit enough and not too fat you shouldn't have too much trouble. The lambs need to be removed from the mothers at least 1 month before tupping preferably 2. If the ewes are on good grazing adding a tupping lick at a higher stocking rate than reccommended approx 1 month before the tup is put in can work too

[VSS]

You need to get the  lambs weaned or the ewes won't start cycling early enough. As a guide, we will be weaning next week and the tups go in in mid October. Keep them a bit tight for a week of two to help them dry off and then just let them have enough grass to keep them ticking over. This is assuming that your ewes are lean and fit, having just reared lambs. If they are fat, it will pay you to keep them on tight grazing for a bit longer. Put them on to better grazing a couple of weeks before the tup goes in - if you use  teaser move them to good grass at the same time as putting in the teaser. The key is to have the ewes fit and in rising body condition when they are tupped. Make sure they have good grazing for about six weeks as pregnancies can be lost early on if there is insufficient grass.