FULL CROP OF LAMBS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 57, 16 March 1945, Page 3

FULL CROP OF LAMBS

PRECAUTIONS IN AUTUMN

A full complement of spring lambs can be assured and valuable winter <? feed utilised to the best advantage by use of a vasectomised ram towards the end ol' the tupping season states the Massey Agricultural College. These, vasectomised rams which are rendered sterile by the cutting of the duct which conveys the semen from the testicles,, are not only much keener workers than the old-fashioned "aproned teasers " but they are absolutely safe, since they are incapable of ever fertilising a ewe. This latter fact makes the vasectomised teaser particularly useful to the stud breeder since there is no possibility of accidents such as the slipping of an apron during the night. By the use of a mixture, of racVlle and oil on the brisket the stud »> breeder «can quickly sort out his ewes as they come on heat; whilst the fat. lamb raiser can at the end of the season by the use of a vasectomised teaser for three weeks after

tlie rams are withdrawn draft out all his dry ewes and either sell them as fats or otherwise dispose of tliem by the end of May. The valuable winter feed which would otherwise have been consumed by these dry ewes is thereby conserved l'or the benefit of the breeding flacky and in a hard winter may make all the difference in carrying the. Hock successfully through to lambing tiime. Any cull ram can lie used for the but the operation of vasec. j tomy is a precise one and can. be j performed only by a qualified veterinary surgeon.