Preparing your rams for a fruitful joining
RAMping Up Repro workshops give sheep and wool producers the skills to improve ram health, performance and longevity in their commercial sheep enterprises.
Rams are a considerable investment for a woolgrowers’ business; with the rams’ performance strongly impacted by management and preparation for joining.
To help ensure that woolgrowers get the most from their rams, AWI in partnership with Zoetis Australia six years ago developed the hands-on RAMping Up Repro half-day workshop. The workshop is available across the country, in conjunction with leading deliverers, via the state-based AWI Extension Networks.
AWI National Extension Manager, Emily King, says the workshop is designed to give producers skills across the key components of what drives ram performance, to help improve the profitability of woolgrowers’ enterprises.
“As we all know, rams have an important function, and they require careful management and preparation that starts a few months out from the start of joining. The workshop focuses on the timing of preparation of rams, as well as the practical aspects of preparing rams for joining,” Emily said.
“Topics covered include nutrition and body condition, animal health and management, checking the 4Ts (teeth, toes, tackle and testicles), managing shearing, assessing for structural soundness, and all things in between.”
“Pre-joining ram checks are key to ensuring the whole ram team are ready and able to do their job at joining.”
Emily King, AWI National Extension Manager
Each participant is guided through a thorough pre-joining ram inspection by an accredited workshop deliverer and given the opportunity to increase their practical skills to undertake this in their own operation. The workshop is designed to give attendees the confidence to incorporate these skills into their own routine management, thus improving the performance of their rams.
Chance favours the prepared!
Dr Tim Gole of For Flocks Sake, a veterinary-based sheep consultancy business in Dubbo, conducts RAMping Up Repro workshops. His top tip for joining is to get prepared early.
“Chance favours the prepared. Put pre-joining ram examinations in your calendar 12 weeks before joining because then you know you've got enough time to go through your full ram team and action anything that needs doing, such as shear them, vaccinate them, improve their nutrition, clean up feet, clean up horns,” he said.
“The semen cycle is six weeks, so if there is anything you need to do to the ram you've got to do it at least six weeks before joining. But also, if you find that a lot of your ram team are B graders, you've got plenty of time to find replacements. Rams are going to add genetic value to your flock for years to come, so you don’t want to be searching for new ones on the fly.
“To get on top of preparing rams for joining, I recommend attending a RAMping Up Repro workshop and then simply use the workshop checklist (which is on the AWI website), because it lists everything you need to do.”
More information:
- For more information on the RAMping Up Repro workshop, visit www.wool.com/workshops
- If you’d like the workshop to be run in your region, contact your state AWI Extension Network and let them know. Contact details are available at www.wool.com/networks
Warwick Moppett’s key learnings from the workshop
Woolgrower Warwick Moppett and AWI National Extension Manager Emily King on Warwick’s family property at Tooraweenah.
Warwick and Kylie Moppett and Peter Moppett, Tooraweenah, run a self-replacing Merino flock across two locations in the central west of NSW at Tooraweenah and Quambone, in a family partnership.
“I attended the Bathurst RAMping Up Repro workshop with a view to increasing our business’ engagement in strategic learning, and both our animal production advisor, Emily Pitt, and wool broker, Veronike Hartmeier, recommended the workshop,” Warwick said.
“It’s for all sheep producers, anyone running sheep should be thinking ‘have I got a fit ram team?’”
Warwick says the key learnings his family has implemented are:
- Conduct early pre-joining ram checks to ensure the ram’s sperm production is not compromised in the lead up to joining (it takes six weeks for spermatogenesis).
- Improve the pre-joining ram regime so the rams go into joining in optimum condition, fit and fed.
- Review rams after joining is complete.
- Maintain rams as well as ewes are maintained between joining seasons.
“The RAMping Up Repro workshop is also an opportunity to talk to and learn from other growers,” Warwick added.
This article appeared in the December 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
