The case of sheep and the subsequent emergence of offspring is an indispensable process in the life of any farm. Breeders adhere to a certain technique, carefully prepare and choose only mature animals for reproduction. Sheep are ready to mate at a certain period of the year and it is important not to miss the moment.
How to determine that a sheep has started hunting?
Puberty occurs in sheep aged 6-7 months, but only when they reach a mass of 40-50 kg
(at 10-11 months), they are allowed into mating. The sexual cycle lasts about 15-17 days, it can be much longer. For every female he is constant. The average hunting time is from 3 to 12 days.
The duration of the hunting phase is short, and care must be taken to inseminate, otherwise after a while the sheep will again require a male.
As a rule, animals mate only at certain times of the year, which depends on the region and breed. Most begin in late summer – early fall and lasts until spring. During the sexual hunt, estrus sets in, the approximation of which can be determined by the following signs:
- The vaginal mucus at the beginning of estrus is transparent, then becomes cloudy, becomes viscous, later acquires a pulp consistency.
- Vaginal tissues swell.
- Animals lose their appetite, their behavior changes. Females are supportive of males suitable for them; they do not run away when they try to cover them.
Mating preparation
Mating herd animals are prepared in advance. All animals must undergo a medical examination, in addition, their diet and regimen are subject to changes:
- females excommunicated from lambs;
- 2 months gradually stop milking;
- When choosing natural insemination, rams are kept away from bright animals in darkened rooms for several weeks.
Farmers who care about the health of their animals should provide them with proper nutrition in the pre-accidental stage. A diverse and reinforced by some components diet is received by both females and males. Without fail, the menu includes foods rich in vitamins A and E, phosphorus and potassium. These are carrots, fresh green grass (mass), bone meal and concentrates.
Vapors for breeding are carefully selected. Animals must be healthy, physically strong (old, lame, skinny individuals are rejected). Before mating, sheep of both sexes must undergo a veterinary examination, which includes:
- examination for mastitis (females);
- assessment of general health - hooves and teeth;
- hygiene procedures, cutting dirty wool that interferes with mating.
Mating techniques (insemination types)
In recent years, artificial insemination of sheep has become widespread, which allows fertilizing with sperm of one ram up to 1000 queens. As a rule, it is used in industrial sheep farming. But in large farms, traditional types of mating are used:
- manual;
- freestyle;
- harem;
- cool.
The most imperfect method, which does not give any guarantees, is free when the sheep are kept together with the uterus in the same herd for a long time (1.5-2 months). For 100 queens, at least three manufacturers are needed. The method is suitable only for large flocks and for covering females that have remained uncovered for some reason after mass mating. The free way has a big minus: quick wear of ram-producers.
The harem mating increases the guarantee of successful mating, when a special pasture or corral is assigned to a group of queens (30-40 heads) and one male is brought. The method is suitable for medium-sized farms.
With a cool mating, during the mating period of the sheep, they are allowed into the flock of queens, where a free covering should occur. All males are divided into two groups and brought into the herd in turn, having the opportunity to select inseminators for certain females.
Individual selection guarantees only the manual method. With him, a suitable male is selected for each female. An adult ram makes 2-4 cages per day, and as a rule, all of them end successfully. This mating is possible in farms with a small number of livestock, as it requires large labor and time costs.
How to get ram sperm?
Artificial insemination has several advantages over traditional. Sheep can be seeded anywhere, anytime, in any quantity and without fear of the spread of disease. It is important to follow the instructions: measure the dosage, use disinfected devices and high-quality biomaterial.
As a rule, frozen sperm of sheep is delivered to farms, which is cheaper to use than chilled.
Sheep sperm is extracted manually - not only for insemination, but also to check its quality. They get ejaculate on an open area in the warm season and in the arena in the cold. For sperm use artificial vaginas made in the form of a rubber tube with an elastic entrance. This method is most widely used in practice, but the sperm of an animal can also be collected manually, using a sperm collector, by means of electro-ejaculation.
How sheep sperm is harvested is shown in the video below:
Early mating of sheep
Experienced farmers recommend that the first mating is bright when its live weight is 60-70% of the weight of adult sheep - this is about 45 kg. The body is strong enough for pregnancy, but the sheep did not gain a lot of mass, in which mating and raising offspring is already a problem.
Females, as a rule, are ready for mating in the period of 1-1.5 years, but there are precocious breeds that reach the desired body weight by 9 months. And you can carry out the first mating. Sometimes breeders rush and mate young females aged 4-6 months, this mating is considered early and often ends in a miscarriage, the birth of dead offspring or the death of the sheep itself.
Knowing that young sheep are in heat, but not wanting to mate them at a tender age, farmers keep them separate from sheep.
Insemination rules
If, in a free mating, the rams themselves choose which female to cover, the manual method of insemination involves careful selection of partners, constant monitoring, monitoring behavior and tracking results. Hitting two sheep is not as easy as it seems at first glance. Farmers adhere to certain rules to control this process. They must choose the right time, place and animals for successful mating.
Key points that sheep farmers pay attention to:
- There are animals in a separate enclosed area or aviary during the period of sexual hunting.
- During this period, sheep are kept separately from bright animals in a personal aviary.
- They are led to the inseminator of uncovered females, waiting for coverage at least two times.
- It is important to take care of the health of the animals, that is, to keep them clean and in good shape, and to prevent obesity.
Mating process
When inseminating sheep, farmers take into account the peculiarities of breeding and the estimated - desired - time for obtaining offspring. The unspoken rule recommends mating animals in the fall so that the lambing occurs in the spring. Around this time, the hunting of the sheep begins. The maturity lasts about five months (150-153 days), and the optimal mating time can be calculated.
Video review of the process of mating in sheep:
Based on whether the type of insemination is selected - natural or artificial - farmers allocate the necessary time for the procedure. Artificial insemination can take more than a month, since the uterus, the hunt of which lasts 1-2 days, is fertilized twice. And the procedure is repeated after 15 days if conception has not occurred.
The artificial insemination plan is prepared in advance and executed on time.
Sheep are artificially inseminated at special outlets using catheter syringes. Sperm is dosed at 0.05 ml and injected into the vagina of the uterus. It is important that the room temperature is comfortable, not lower than 18 degrees, as the ejaculate is sensitive to cold shock.
With artificial insemination, greater fertility is achieved than with natural mating. This method is faster and safer, it is carried out under the supervision of specialists, and farmers do not need to keep sheep in a herd.
Pregnancy definition
The first sign that the mating was successful is the lack of re-estrus in the sheep after 2-3 weeks. But the lack of hunting does not necessarily signal a pregnancy, the reproductive system diseases may be to blame. Therefore, farmers recommend using additional methods to help determine the condition of the sheep. About pregnancy testifies:
- Uterine enlargement. It is determined by the method of palpation, palpation of the abdomen. Detects the pregnancy of a sheep only from 3 months of pregnancy. Check is carried out on an empty stomach.
- Vibrations in the uterine arteries. In the second half of pregnancy, they can be felt through the anus.
- Mucus on the cervix, which is determined by the use of a vaginal mirror 20 days after insemination.
It is believed that a pregnant sheep becomes calmer, but this is not always true. Representatives of the opposite sex help determine pregnancy. The reflexological method assumes the presence of a ram and other females - covered and empty. A sexually mature male is launched into the pen to the sheep, which easily distinguishes those from others; it does not show interest in pregnant women.
Preparation for lambing
A pregnant sheep needs a special attitude - careful, while you should not limit the animal in movement. Experienced and attentive farmers do not stress the animal so that there is no miscarriage (this happens in the later stages). In addition, the nutrition of a pregnant sheep is varied and of high quality, enriched with vitamins. It is advisable to use special feed.
Before childbirth, on the udder and between the hind legs of the sheep, hair is cut.
2 weeks before the expected lambing date, the enclosure where the sheep are kept is insulated, cleaned, and the litter changes. The uterus is placed in separate pens of at least 2 square meters. m square. The optimum temperature - especially during winter lambing - is not lower than +5 degrees. On lambing days, a person next to pregnant sheep should be on duty to determine which of the females will be born soon. You can determine this by the following criteria:
- animal behavior becomes restless;
- the udder swells, and the belly sags;
- the genitals - their outer part - increase in size.
Birth process
Compared to other animals, the birth of the sheep is no problem, but still must be controlled by a person to help the animal in case of emergency. If everything goes fine, after 20-30 minutes after the onset of labor, an amniotic bladder appears, bursts, and a lamb appears. He climbs his muzzle and front hooves forward.
If the fruit is large or lies incorrectly, the farmer should help delivery:
- during breaks between attempts to correct the position of the lamb;
- during attempts to slightly pull the baby by the legs;
- if the fetal bladder does not burst, it is cut or burst.
The birth was successful, but the uterus does not calm down, lies down again - which means there are several babies. The time interval between the birth of lambs is from 10 to 20 minutes. The cubs that are born are allowed to lick the sheep, and if she refuses, they themselves are wiped with a clean rag and the airways are cleaned of mucus. After 1-2 hours after delivery, the afterbirth is separated in the sheep, but if this does not happen, they call the veterinarian.
Mating animals is a natural process, which nevertheless must be controlled by farmers, including freestyle mating, where the sheep themselves choose their mate. Sheep farmers plan everything in advance and can even bring the hunting season closer. The animals are provided with safety and comfortable conditions, they change their diet, lambs are weaned from their mothers and the regular milking of females is stopped. Successful fertilization and childbirth are a guarantee of a strong herd.
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Russia. City: Emelyanovo
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