MOST people will associate lambing with springtime, but to plan for that can mean starting in the early summer.

For February lambing, mating needs to take place in September. For the rams to be in top fertile condition, they need to be examined at least eight to ten weeks earlier, which takes us to the end of June or early July.

I recently performed a vasectomy on a ram, which can improve the lambing percentage (unlike in humans where the aim is to have fewer offspring) and create a more compact lambing period.

The ‘teaser’ ram is introduced a couple of weeks before mating, and the sight, sound and smell of the male is enough to prime the ewes to start ovulating.

As more ewes will be in season at once, all the entire rams must be fit and fertile if the ewes are to become pregnant.