Ram management is important to ensure successful joining. Consider the following strategies:
- Give rams a breeding soundness examination at least 8–12 weeks before joining, using the Ram pre-joining checklist tool.
- Shear rams at least eight weeks before joining, as shearing cuts and resulting fever, or compromising temperature change, can affect semen quality.
- Join rams at 1% plus one extra ram for mature ewes, at least 1.5% for maiden ewes and 2% for ewe lambs. For example, use at least five rams for a mob of 400 ewes.
- Increase the ram percentage when joining in large mobs as the ‘plus one extra ram’ gets more diluted the larger the mob gets.
- Higher ram joining rates are necessary in large paddocks with multiple watering points or when rams are joined outside the main breeding season.
- Avoid open gates between paddocks at joining. This is common when joining on crop stubbles to allow sheep access to several paddocks, but it can reduce ram contact with ewes on the specific days they are cycling.
- The target condition score for rams is 3.5. If rams need to increase condition score before joining, feed a high-quality feed, such as lupins, for 50 days prior to joining to ensure maximum teste size and sperm output.
- Avoid joining inexperienced rams with maiden ewes. Use young rams with mature ewes and mature rams with young ewes.
- Minimise the risk of lambing difficulties by not joining maiden ewes to meat breeds with high Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) for birthweight.
- Allow eight weeks for newly introduced rams to acclimatise if they have been brought in from outside the district. Housed rams may need even more time to become accustomed to paddock feed before joining starts.
- If ewes are being supplemented during joining, make sure rams are accustomed to the same supplementary feed to avoid acidosis.