Teaser ram removal

Dkb

Member
I have had the teaser running with the ewes for the past 3 weeks. I don’t want all the ewes coming cycling at the one time I just want to make sure they are all cycling.

I want to put the rams in anywhere between the 1st and the 8th of November and was wondering would it be ok to take him out now on the 22nd or 23rd so that I could run him with another bunch.
 

Dkb

Member
from what ive read you use the teaser 14 days before your main tups go in.. im sure someone with more ken than me will be along shortly as ive only used 1 last year..

Oh I know your right. But that’s only if your wanting to use the ram affect for to compact up the lambing into a very tight window. I’m just wanting to ensure all ewes particularly the first time lambers are cycling. Don’t want a very compacted lambing really. But I want to move the teaser to another bunch now and want to make sure that they’ll keep cycling etc when he’s taken away
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I have had the teaser running with the ewes for the past 3 weeks. I don’t want all the ewes coming cycling at the one time I just want to make sure they are all cycling.

I want to put the rams in anywhere between the 1st and the 8th of November and was wondering would it be ok to take him out now on the 22nd or 23rd so that I could run him with another bunch.

Yes. He’ll have done his job now, getting them all cycling ready for when the entire rams arrive.

At this time of year, my teasers move from one mob to the next as we go from stimulating pedigree ewes, to synchronising & marking ET donors & recips, to the main mob of commercial ewes, the ewe lambs, and then on to their winter quarters with the hoggs that I deemed too small to tup.
I almost felt sorry for the two this morning that had 30 ewes a piece round them trying to get some action. Rams will be into that lot on November 5th and I would expect less than 5% left to lamb after 17 days.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Not really sure why you need to bother if you dont want to compact your lambing. When you put rams in they will encourage any ewes not already cycling to start. Probably not the case if your going very early or with ewe lambs.

That depends on the seasonality of the ewe breeds ime. When we ran Texel crosses and the rams were going in on October 12th (for March lambing), if I didn't tease then they weren't cycling naturally, so next to none were tupped in the first 10 days or so. Using teasers as above, everything was raring to go when the rams went in, but also spread out a bit more than with conventional teaser use.

IIRC there was also some research to suggest that ewes were more fecund if mated on their second cycle, which the would be the one after that synchronised heat.

My pure Beltexes obviously didn't think much to the teasers though, which successfully brought all the Charollais ewes forward that were running in one mob. Rams went in to the various groups on September 28th, after 3 weeks or so with teasers. Charollais ewes were all tupped fairly evenly over the first 17 days, the Beltexes did nothing for 10 days or so, then all got tupped over a few days, so 'brought on' by the entire rams I guess? I would rather they had all lambed at the beginning, before they had a chance for the lambs to get too big, but will just have to stay in a straw pen for longer now.
 

Dkb

Member
Not really sure why you need to bother if you dont want to compact your lambing. When you put rams in they will encourage any ewes not already cycling to start. Probably not the case if your going very early or with ewe lambs.

Have a teaser on farm for the bunches that I do want lambing compact. May as well use him for this bunch too to ensure everything is cycling and ready for the real thing.

I don’t want the outdoor lambing flock lambing compactly as if that coincided with bad weather it would cause unnecessary losses. The indoor lambing groups the more compact the better as they can stay indoors until bad weather passes over.
 

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