What are the disadvantages of raising rams and ewes together? Sheep farmers should know this early

1. It makes it hard to grasp the optimal mating time

When rams and ewes are kept together, they will inevitably mate freely, which may lead to ewes becoming pregnant and lambing in all four seasons. This is bad for both feeding management and fetal development, and the lambs produced are often of poor constitution with a low survival rate. Comparatively speaking, ewes lambing in spring and winter are better, and winter lambing is better than spring lambing. Ewes that lamb in winter generally conceive in July to August, when the grass is lush, the ewes are in good body condition, ovulate more, have a high conception rate, and the fetuses develop well; when the lambs are weaned, the weather is just turning warm, they can eat green grass, grow and develop quickly, have strong overwintering ability, a high survival rate, and high wool yield. Therefore, it is best to keep rams and ewes separately at ordinary times, and in July to August select rams to mate with ewes, so that the ewes can be guaranteed to lamb from December to January of the following year. If ewes lamb in spring, both the ewes and the lambs can eat green grass, so the ewes have sufficient milk, the lambs grow and develop quickly, there is no need to buy a large amount of feed, and the cost is low.

2. It makes it hard to grasp the optimal mating partners

Sheep generally reach sexual maturity at 7 to 8 months of age, but at this time they are not suitable for mating; in addition, old sheep and sick or disabled sheep are also not suitable for mating, and only healthy sheep 1.5 to 7.0 years old are suitable for mating. If rams and ewes are kept together and mate freely, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, as well as the young and small, will all become pregnant, which not only affects the handling of old, weak, sick, and dead ewes, but also results in lambs with a low survival rate and slow growth.

3. It is bad for the use of improved-breed rams

A single ram can generally only mate with 15 to 20 ewes. If rams and ewes are allowed to mate freely, the ram will consume too much energy, shortening its years of use and causing waste.

4. It is bad for giving play to hybrid vigor

Free mating often makes it impossible to determine which ram is the father of the lambs, causing inbreeding in the offspring, losing hybrid vigor, and also leading to genetic diseases.

5. It is bad for the ewes' feed intake

When rams and ewes are kept together, the rams will constantly chase the ewes, and the ewes cannot concentrate on eating, which affects the ewes' growth and development.