The revelation that the average British ram is lasting a year less than farmer expectations – and in some cases are costing producers money – could have major implications for sheep breeders.
New research investigating the value of ram lifetime productivity found that there is a need to improve ram longevity – particularly in terms of ram health and nutritional management.
However, the report, compiled by Lesley Stubbings OBE, Kate Phillips, Chris Lewis, and Phil Stocker added that there is “considerable scope” to achieve this.
There are approximately 400,000 breeding rams in the UK, with an average cost of just over £500. However, prior to the research, there was little evidence of their flock life or the cost of their actual lifetime productivity.
In 2016, the two-year project was awarded £37,000 from the Animal Welfare Foundation’s Norman Hayward Fund.
The findings
From a survey of nearly 600 sheep farmers, the project found that the average flock life of rams is 3.8 years, but with a huge variation between flocks.
However, the 10 focus groups and detailed data from commercial farms put the figure at 4.5 years.
Both data sets suggest the actual figure is longer than the industry ‘standards’ of around three years.
Generally, farmers who completed the survey were satisfied with ram longevity. However, their expectations were not matched by reality with a whole year’s difference between what they expected and what they later said they actually achieved; 3.8 years as opposed to 4.8 years.
Old age, poor condition and dentition were frequently given as major reasons for both culling and deaths.
Researchers found the ewe to ram ratios recorded by the focus groups were still relatively low – with an average of 44 ewes per ram – despite the encouragement of much higher ratios.
The study also found that the breeders who paid the most were more likely to be dissatisfied with their ram’s performance, while those who bought directly from the farm were most likely to be satisfied.
Improving longevity
Health planning and nutritional management were found to be key weaknesses in achieving a longer flock life.
However, the report’s authors suggest that there is scope to improve the situation in line with expectations and that breeders could be encouraged to adopt new management practices to achieve this.
For example, after old age, lameness was the most common reason for culling rams. 41% are not vaccinated against pasteurellosis, yet respiratory disease was the third most common cause of deaths.
The project also developed key performance indicators that would allow the cost of the ram to be calculated against measurable output criteria such as lambs per ram lifetime.
For example, the cost per lamb varied from 25p to £4.50 and lifetime output from 100 to 450 lambs.
Using these indicators, farmers and their advisers can identify current performance, and measure the financial impact of their ram management changes.
