[Twotwo]

Our ram lamb is due to go in with the girls soon, they have had mucky bums due to the wet grass. So should I crutch them as some say? Last year I did as Tim Tyne says in his book and only trimmed off the worst bits but the ram was an old hand at the job !  what do others do.

[harmony]

I would clean them up. There is still a chance of fly strike and it has got to be better for rams/ewes to serving ewes with clean back ends. Once the ram has been in you don't want to be tipping your ewes so I would get them cleaned up now.

[Twotwo]

Sorry, always difficult to explain oneself properly in texts. I will trim off the worst but what I'm really asking is, some people crutch back tight while others thought that put rams off ! and I wondered you knowledgeable people on the forum thought.

[shep53]

Have fully crutched and done nothing , can't say iv'e found any difference in conception , now I only trim dirty or very woolly , easier life as I get older 

[Marches Farmer]

I'll be crutching 'em this year.  I find the young ewes sometimes get a bit loose when the Spring grass comes in and I don't want to catch and trim mucky backsides to keep them clean for the lambs.

[SallyintNorth]

Timing is all.  If you're clipping right back, don't put the ram in for at least seven days, preferably ten.  It's a bit prickly at first! 

[Buttermilk]

I do my sheep with them standing and just trim off any clangers.  One person holds them and one trims.