Farming: Ram-buying decisions have big impact, say Hawke’s Bay vets

Vet technical team members Madi Daines and Caitlin Watts providing sheep health services on the conveyor.

Vet Services is proud to work closely alongside many sheep farms with a shared goal of improving animal health and performance.

If you are looking to change your farm genetics, you need to develop a clear plan about how to achieve this without losing the “meat and fertility” of your existing flock. The genetics you select on ram purchase day will affect your farm for many years, usually four years’ worth of daughters, and then their progeny (seven-plus years).

There’s a lot to consider, and writing this down in a formal genetic plan gives you a clear and obvious direction of what that looks like.

• Where are you now? What level of performance do you want to achieve with your flock in the next five years?
• What does the purchaser of your product want?
• What is the consumer of the end product looking for?

From an animal health viewpoint, it’s very important to have the traits of facial eczema and worm resistance/resilience on your radar. Facial eczema and drench resistance are not going anywhere and have a big financial impact when they rear their ugly heads.

Dave Warburton BVSc, Vet Services Hastings.

Vet Services production animal team works closely with sheep breeders across the East Coast and offers a range of veterinary services for the advancement of genetics to support your farming operations. Some of these services include ram testing, semen collection, artificial insemination and embryo transfer.

What benefit could these services offer you?

• INSURANCE - Losing a top ram without his genetics stored can be frustrating and a big loss to your production.
• ACCESS - If you can’t get the ram for natural use, then using semen could be a viable option.
• MULTIPLYING YOUR BEST GENETICS - Allows you to grow from the top rather than to retain the bottom of your flock.
• LINKAGE - Artificial insemination allows linkage between flocks where mating dates are similar or transporting rams isn’t viable.
• INTRODUCING NEW GENETICS - You may have access to new breeds and have the option of breeding with great genetics with facial eczema tolerance, worm resistance and finer wool.
• MARKETING SEMEN - We are able to market your semen to our clients and a wider audience.
• MORE PROGENY PER SIRE - If you have an elite sire (or joint ownership of one), then artificial insemination can allow more progeny per sire and natural use as well for all owners.

Along with these breeding services, if you would like assistance with your flock health management or help searching for local breeders and rams that meet your criteria please get in touch.

Contact your local Vet Services clinic or head to our website to find out more www.vshb.co.nz.

This editorial was first published in the Hawke’s Bay Today Ram Catalogue 2023.