Either leave rams in, or turn in again about days later. Accelerated lambing will increase lambing frequency, providing a more uniform supply of lambs throughout the year, which may result in a more even cash flow to the producer.
It is possible when a number of factors are available:. For further information on accelerated lambing, contact your local Manitoba Agriculture and Food office. Page Content. Accelerated Lambing Introduction Most sheep are seasonal breeders as a result of their sensitivity to the changing daylength and are most fertile in the fall.
Accelerated Lambing Accelerated lambing refers to ewes lambing more frequently than once per year. Three lamb crops per ewe every two years The three lamb crops per ewe every two years system is an attempt to have an average lambing interval of eight months, or 1. Out-of-season breeding For the above systems to work, out-of-season breeding techniques must be used. Benefits: increased number of lambs produced per ewe increased market options higher prices paid for off-season and holiday lambs Important management concerns: lambing rates are approximately 25 percent lower than in a spring lamb enterprise lambing may interfere with the harvesting of some crops breeding is more difficult than with spring lambing ewes must be replaced more frequently parasites and diseases must be monitored more carefully incidence of mastitis is increased and more careful monitoring is needed labour is required year-round There are three out-of-season breeding methods: selection of breeds and genes that are more prone to longer breeding seasons controlling lighting using hormones Controlling lighting Day length appears to be the primary factor in controlling breeding season in sheep.
Melangesterol acetate MGA MGA is a feed additive, containing hormone, that is commonly used in feedlot heifer rations. Vaginal sponges Vaginal sponges that contain progesterone may also be used for out-of-season breeding. Summary Accelerated lambing will increase lambing frequency, providing a more uniform supply of lambs throughout the year, which may result in a more even cash flow to the producer.
It is possible when a number of factors are available: ewes must be capable of breeding in the spring, fall and winter adequate buildings, equipment, and feed must be available to handle ewes and lambs during the entire year high-level management, marketing, and production skills are critical For further information on accelerated lambing, contact your local Manitoba Agriculture and Food office.
Get Started. Abstract Effects of environmental factors such as ewe age, season of exposure, and time from lambing to exposure on fertility were evaluated using records on 1, Dorset ewes in the STAR accelerated lambing system.
Publication types Research Support, Non-U. Our medium-sized breeds such as the Dorset have the proper body composition at about lb, with the ewe lambs about 10 lb lighter than the ram lambs. Lambs sired by large terminal cross sires such as the Hampshire and Suffolk should be sold at the heavier weights.
All the lambs in this group can be fed and managed the same even though they are marketed at different weights. The best market weight for each lamb is really determined by the ram at the time of breeding. All the ewes in the Breeding and Pregnant flock should be of moderate size and able to produce twin lambs any time of the year. This is where the market lambs start and selection of the proper ram for breeding is very important. Selected ewes in this group can be mated to the proper maternal sire to produce replacement ewes.
It should also explain how the STAR system can increase production as well as make a uniform supply of high quality lamb available to the consumer and provide an even cash flow to the producer. On paper it seemed like a good approach to maximizing lamb production from Dorsets. Every other month the ewes were exposed to a ram and alternate months the ewes lambed.
The ewes were given a chance to lamb on a 6, 8 or 10 month interval. Unlike a three in two years scheme, the ewes were given several chances to lamb on an accelerated schedule before they returned to once a year lambing.
It became apparent in the first year that one problem with the CAMAL system was the difficulty encountered in predicting stages of pregnancy for proper feeding. It was even more difficult to predict which breeding period would result in pregnancy for effective flushing. In order to solve these problems of pre-partum and pre-breeding feeding, I devised what Dr. Instead of alternate lambing and breeding periods, the lambing of one portion of the flock coincides exactly with the breeding of another portion of the flock.
In this way the entire flock can be managed as a unit throughout most of the year. Flushing and pre-partum feeding can be accomplished on a flock basis and sorting out pre-partum ewes can be postponed until quick sorting by palpation of the udder is possible. There are 5 lambings yearly instead of 6 with the CAMAL System and a ewe can achieve 5 lambings in 3 years if she completes the cycle perfectly.
The numbered superscripts in Table 1 plot the sequence of a perfect set of 5 lambings in 3 years. Therefore a ewe does not have to be perfect to achieve a respectable accelerated schedule.
For that matter, a shepherd might wish to lamb only 3 times in one year. By following the schedule in upper case letters in Table 1, two sets of lambing and breeding periods would still coincide for ease of management. This variation of 3 lambings in 2 years also allows the possibility of an extended lactation during the peak summer pasturing season.
As can be seen in Table 1, August 8 has been chosen to start the first breeding period. This fits our teaching and research needs and is also our best guess for optimal performance of our Dorsets. One may choose to start the first breeding and lambing period on any other day of the year and then space the start of each succeeding breeding one-half sheep gestation 73 days apart to fit the year exactly. Ewes on the CAMAL System were first exposed to the ram during their 56 day lactation period and for the second time one to five weeks postweaning.
During the winter, spring and summer breeding periods a fertile ram is put with the ewes for 30 days. For the October-November breeding, a 20 day breeding period has proven to be long enough. In the August-September breeding period, I have had success synchronizing the breeding of Finnsheep naturally by exposing the ewes to a teaser ram vasectomized for the first 10 days of the breeding period and then replacing the teaser with a fertile ram for the last 20 days.
The last two years my Finns have bred within a three day period and lambing in January has only lasted for one week. Two weeks later the color is changed so that rebreeding can be detected. Little or no remarking means the ram is doing his job.
Portable electric fencing is very useful in extended grazing programs. For a modest fee, many neighbors welcome the opportunity to have their fields grazed and realize some tax advantages and income from feed that would otherwise be wasted. Portable electric fencing makes such arrangements possible. Effective disease control programs are essential. We emphasize the eradication of two diseases: foot rot and ovine progressive pneumonia OPP.
Eradicating OPP has probably had the biggest effect on making sheep management easier. We no longer see emaciated young ewes with reduced lung capacity, hard udders in ewes at lambing, and arthritis in the Dorset ewes. Unless wool can be processed and sold as a specialty product, wool is not a major product in the STAR lambing system, but it still receives attention. Shearing ewes off pasture and before lambing helps ensure clean wool that can be sold at some premium.
The STAR system can increase production, spread lamb production throughout the year, and enhance marketing. Properly used, it provides an opportunity to better utilize resources for productive and profitable sheep production. Thanks to Mike Tolomeo of Cornell University for doing the conversion and helping to get the video on-line. The purpose of the list server is to ask about and exchange information about sheep and goat management.
Cornell Sheep Program Home. From Cornell University. From other academic and Extension sources. From industry. More details about past, present, and future sheep research at Cornell University will be coming soon. Michael L. Dan L. Interns, Students, and Volunteers. Major revision: October Please contact Niko Kochendoerfer at nk cornell.
0コメント