Sheep Indstry: Early breeding key to hogget lamb boost
March 22nd, 2010
Breeding hoggets sooner could be the key to giving birth to heavier lambs according to Massey University research trials. The trials come as increasing numbers of sheep farmers mating their hoggets still face the problem of what to do with the younger and lighter hoggets’ lambs. Massey University. Assoc Professor Paul Kenyon says “The lighter lambs have a lower store value and only a proportion are finished by weaning on most farms so we decided to look at how we can makes hoggets’ lambs heavier at weaning.”
Massey University is attempting to solve this problem by conducting trials of teasing hoggets. The trials involve testing whether exposing hoggets to teaser rams a lot earlier than the normal practice improves cycling and conception at an earlier mating. The results show getting hoggets pregnant earlier than the traditional breeding date of May 1 allows more flexibility for weaning heavier lambs, improving the store value, increasing the number of lambs sold prime and allowing young ewes more time to grow out and put on weight for the next mating season.
The study will be repeated in 2010 and will include an early March teaser date to see if breeding can be brought forward to Mid March if hoggets have achieved a desirable bodyweight. Kenyon says growing hoggets to a suitable mating weight is the key to hogget mating. He says farmers still need to be hitting the 38kg mark before breeding their hoggets.
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