Letting out the ram!

roosky

Hi all,

Its coming to that time again and I have a perdiciment.

I have a mature Texel ram and a Charollais hogget ram to tip about 80 ewes, I have 30 hoggets and would sooner tip them with the CH.

My worrys are:

1. hassel of running two flocks
2. the reduced tipping due to lack of ram compotition
3. the fear that this might put too much pressure on one ram with a big group of ewes

Running them together is the easies option but is this madness considering putting a texel on hoggets, he isnt a hard lamber but he is a texel

Username John

[*]the reduced tipping due to lack of ram compotition

I think having 2 rams can be a distraction, as one doesn't want the other getting any action, so they end up fighting a lot of the time. Whereas with one, he can just do the business 'unhindered' so to speak...

[*]the fear that this might put too much pressure on one ram with a big group of ewes

You could swap the rams after few weeks, if you were worried about this?

better call saul

Ill give you a hand, itll cost ya

Cran

roosky wrote: »

Hi all,

Its coming to that time again and I have a perdiciment.

I have a mature Texel ram and a Charollais hogget ram to tip about 80 ewes, I have 30 hoggets and would sooner tip them with the CH.


My worrys are:

1. hassel of running two flocks
2. the reduced tipping due to lack of ram compotition
3. the fear that this might put too much pressure on one ram with a big group of ewes

Running them together is the easies option but is this madness considering putting a texel on hoggets, he isnt a hard lamber but he is a texel

Get rid of the texel and get another Charlie

roosky

Username John wrote: »

I think having 2 rams can be a distraction, as one doesn't want the other getting any action, so they end up fighting a lot of the time. Whereas with one, he can just do the business 'unhindered' so to speak...


You could swap the rams after few weeks, if you were worried about this?

I have heard before that the two rams together work harder so the other lad isnt out doing him.....maybe no truth in it !

Green farmer

Hard to call. When there's two, makes sure none are missed. Keeps lambing tight. Downside is the might be both tired after a few weeks. Maybe introducing new one every 7-10 days might keep them fresh. Also I found that had a lot of singles towards the end of my lambing last year. Don't know if was because rams got tired or less fertile ewes were last to go in lamb ?

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

Hard to call. When there's two, makes sure none are missed. Keeps lambing tight. Downside is the might be both tired after a few weeks. Maybe introducing new one every 7-10 days might keep them fresh. Also I found that had a lot of singles towards the end of my lambing last year. Don't know if was because rams got tired or less fertile ewes were last to go in lamb ?

Crosby Cleland uses one ram on his own with 100 ewes, he claims that when the ram only gets his own scent on the ewe, he won't serve her any more than once, easier on ram and ewe, (if it works)

Green farmer

I don't know rangler , What happens if the ram starts firing blanks and doesn't try to tip the ewe a second time ?

I just see your (if it works ) bit now :-)

roosky

Don't mean to break the debate on number of ewes to a ram but what I really want to know is it mad letting the texel with the hoggets.........also what lambing rate has Crosby Cleland ???

skoger

Hoggets should have no problem lambing texel lambs. Ewe lambs might be a different matter. I'd put 40 to each ram and swap them around later. You'd only have 2 flocks for the few weeks the ram is out.

roosky

skoger wrote: »

Hoggets should have no problem lambing texel lambs. Ewe lambs might be a different matter. I'd put 40 to each ram and swap them around later. You'd only have 2 flocks for the few weeks the ram is out.

Cheers Skoger but is taking the texel/CH thing out of the equation is there any need to split the flock or the rams??

Green farmer

Splitting them helps you spot an infertile ram .

roosky

Green farmer wrote: »

Splitting them helps you spot an infertile ram .

Treu that....but If i was to put yellow raddle on one and green on the other....job done

skoger

Green farmer wrote: »

Splitting them helps you spot an infertile ram .

+1

roosky wrote: »

Treu that....but If i was to put yellow raddle on one and green on the other....job done

Just because he's infertile doesn't mean he'll not mark the ewes;)

Green farmer

I'd be looking for fresh marks after a few weeks. When I've two rams together, with different colours on them, found both would tip the same ewe on the same day.
Safer to split them with a different colour on each ram. Swap them over after 3 weeks. You'll then see who's not doing the job

sako 85

I'm personally thinking of letting an old texel ram out with my cheviot ewe lambs this year. We would normal run the ewe lambs pure or previously had a charollais.

sea12

sako 85 wrote: »

I'm personally thinking of letting an old texel ram out with my cheviot ewe lambs this year. We would normal run the ewe lambs pure or previously had a charollais.

I would never put a Texal with ewe lambs. Find them too hard on ewe lambs.

Op why don't u put 30 ewes and the 30 hoggets in 1 flock with Charolais and then the other 50 ewes with the Texal. Won't be too hard on either ram

sea12

My plan was to put the rams out with the ewes in 2 weeks for lambing 1st April. Put the rams in adjoining paddock yesterday for 24 hr ram effect. One ****er hopped the fence 3ft wire and strsnd of electric wire and had served a good few before I found him today.

So I will have a few earlier than planned lambs.

ganmo

our suffolk lads were raddled and let loose today

razor8

Let my lads out Thursday and ewes seem to be coming very quick

Cran

Rams all out here 1st November, love the day really something mad about letting so many rams same day and seeing the start of another year.
Scanned pedigrees here Saturday, scanned 1.85 with super hold rate as rams were only out for one repeat. Scanner said very good % in the earlies he's done so far.

tom_k

razor8 wrote: »

Let my lads out Thursday and ewes seem to be coming very quick

I thought this too. Have one texel ram let him into 30 ewes on Friday and he'd tipped 8 by Monday morning. Suffolk ram with 15 ewes let out same day had 4 tipped by this morning. Both tested as fertile, have had Texel ram 2 years but suffolk is new.

AnFeirmeoir

I had belclare hogget ram out for last 2 weeks and he tipped half of them.
I've swapped him now with a suffolk ram lamb and will leave him there for 2 weeks. I was thinking of letting both of them out together for the last 2 weeks to pick up any last repeats. They don't know each other, would they fight? I never put 2 rams in together before.

razor8

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

I had belclare hogget ram out for last 2 weeks and he tipped half of them.
I've swapped him now with a suffolk ram lamb and will leave him there for 2 weeks. I was thinking of letting both of them out together for the last 2 weeks to pick up any last repeats. They don't know each other, would they fight? I never put 2 rams in together before.

Leaving them together would be taking a chance IMO, all you need is one lad burying the other in the ribs when he's rising. I would think he should have more than 1/2 tipped at this stage. What breed are they and are they ewe lambs?

AnFeirmeoir

Belclare Ewes. there were only half tipped at 2 weeks. Theres about 3/4 done now at nearly 3 weeks... slow enough i suppose. I'll just swap them again in a week so for the last 2 weeks.

razor8

Little slow alrite. I have one ram out with 96 ewes and he had 37 tipped after 6 days out yesterday

Did you give any minerals to ewes?

serfspup

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

I had belclare hogget ram out for last 2 weeks and he tipped half of them.
I've swapped him now with a suffolk ram lamb and will leave him there for 2 weeks. I was thinking of letting both of them out together for the last 2 weeks to pick up any last repeats. They don't know each other, would they fight? I never put 2 rams in together before.

you can be sure they would fight

better to run two rams together if its a big mob of ewes for 2-3 weeks.
when the first cycle is over the repeats will be sporadic and the two rams will compete agressively to serve them
so better replace them with a fresh ram,
(a handy way to test a ram lamb or use an old ram not up to the rigors of the rush.)

cattle man

How many ewes would you expect a January born ram lamb to handle. He is 70 plus kilos. Thanks

rangler1

cattle man wrote: »

How many ewes would you expect a January born ram lamb to handle. He is 70 plus kilos. Thanks

I'd have no problem with a lamb with 30- 35

Bleating Lamb

razor8 wrote: »

Little slow alrite. I have one ram out with 96 ewes and he had 37 tipped after 6 days out yesterday

Did you give any minerals to ewes?

Jaysus Razor8 your a hard taskmaster:)...that's an awful lot of ewes to put one ram with!....most I have ever heard around here chancing with one ram would be 60.Is he fertility tested)

razor8

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Jaysus Razor8 your a hard taskmaster:)...that's an awful lot of ewes to put one ram with!....most I have ever heard around here chancing with one ram would be 60.Is he fertility tested)

Should be no bother to him, (hopefully) he's a very active charloais with 5 stars for both material and production and in top 1% of breed at that so want to make very good use of him. He's throwing very good lambs that are Kill out 2/3% more than other rams I have. He's not fertility tested but will put another fella in after first cycle and il know within a few days by raddle marks if he worked ok, wouldn't usually use a ratio like that

So fingers crossed!!