The breeding season is now well underway in flocks the length and breadth of the country, and ewes covered this weekend will be lambing in mid-April.
When breeding rams are let out with ewes, farmers often wonder how they are performing and what percentage of the flock have been mated.
Using raddle on the rams can help answer these questions for farmers. Raddle can be used on rams through the use of a harness or by physically rubbing it on the rams’ chest.
Raddle harnesses are very effective and often the most challenging part of using a raddle harness is getting it physically attached to the ram.
Where raddle is being used, it is advisable to change the colour at regular intervals during the mating season. E.g., the colours on the rams could be changed every two weeks.
It is advisable to start with a bright colour and work progressively towards darker colours. This is because if a ewe is mated and repeats, the darker colour will be more apparent on the ewe.
Another benefit of using raddle and changing the colours is it helps farmers identify the expected lambing dates of their ewes in an easy to see colour-coded system.
E.g., the breeding season for the flock could be six weeks. Where three different colours were used (one every two weeks) a farmer may only need to house the ewes expected to lamb immanently or focus their attention on these.
While scanning can also determine how near or far the ewe is from lambing, the color-coded raddle can often be more visually effective.
When used properly, a raddle harness with a colour-coded system for the mating season is a very effective breeding monitoring tool for sheep flocks and will pay dividends for flock management when lambing season approaches.
