Ram shearing
Shearing offers a good opportunity to inspect rams closely. Sidey makes a point of shearing all his own rams and says that if he had shearers doing this work he would still look at each animal on the board. Timing of ram shearing is a key consideration at Glenovis. Sidey says that, depending on breed type and associated wool length, two to six months before to mating is the ideal timing for shearing.
Glenovis rams are shorn in late September. This prevents handling rams unnecessarily in the two months before to mating when any check has the potential to impact semen production. Wool length is an important consideration in shearing timing.
Sidey believes rams should not be used in full wool (12 months) because the wool length elevates scrotum temperature and can therefore affect semen production.
September shearing offers Sidey a prime opportunity to assess how rams have wintered. If any are light in condition in spring then this counts against them.
“Wintering is a great test of constitution. If a ram looks to be struggling in the spring then he’s likely to be struggling in the following autumn.”
Spring shearing also offers a timely opportunity to consider what purchases of new rams are required for the coming season.
Purchased rams
When new rams are purchased and brought on to a farm, Sidey believes they should not be run with the existing ram flock. This helps minimise the risk of rams being bullied when they are introduced to a mob of rams that have already been running together.
“Having rams fight each other before mating is a mistake. You don’t want to put new rams in a situation where they could potentially get a bad injury. The minority in a mob will always get picked on.”
Fly and lice treatments
When rams are purchased it is worth considering their fly or lice treatment programme and how this matches with other sheep they will come into contact with.
One area to consider when dipping is over the poll – see photo 1. This can be prone to flystrike if rams fight and is an easy area to potentially forget at times because it is not a focus when dipping ewes.
Brucellosis
More than 20 years ago when working on a North Island property, Sidey saw first-hand the crippling effect brucellosis could have on a farm. The farmer involved, despite purchasing rams from brucellosis-free properties, was struck by a brucellosis outbreak. The same farmer traded lambs on the same property and this was identified as the source of the problem.
“Two-thirds of the farm’s rams had to be destroyed because of it. The cost of replacing these rams was obviously huge. It was thought that bought-in male store lambs were to blame.”
In terms of brucellosis prevention and management, veterinary advice is that all rams should be palpated before being used. Sidey points out that brucellosis is a greater problem in some parts of the country than others and points to several things to consider:
- whether a ram breeder where rams are sourced from is operating an accredited, brucellosis-free flock
- if lesions are found during inspection of rams
- the quality of boundary fences on a farm and if there is a threat of stock from other properties putting a flock at risk, and
- whether a farm grazes any entire male lambs from other properties as part of a trading operation.
Any of these four factors could increase a flock’s risk of exposure and might warrant brucellosis testing of rams in a commercial flock.
Ram inspection
Sidey believes shearing his own rams is a great way to judge each animal. He considers the following key areas:
Scrotum – Two pendulous, even, large testicles are the ideal in terms of an indication of fertility. If scrotal mange is found then this can be treated with an organophosphate dip or vet advice sought on treatment options – see photo 2.
Pizzle – Check for any abnormalities – see photo 3.
Feet – Sidey believes that a clear policy on foot problems is important.
“With foot issues you’ve got to work out in your own mind whether something is a short-term problem, like a foot abscess, or is it something more serious. If a ram is prone to lameness for a serious reason then you probably shouldn’t use him.”
Foot shape should be considered as well as looking for any signs of infection or damage – see photo 4.
Mouth – Tipping rams over for shearing offers a good opportunity to check their teeth. Worn teeth on older rams might be an issue. Undershot or overshot jaws should be carefully considered – see photo 5.
