For Breeding Season Breeding season is either upon us or a few weeks away. If you haven't yet, now is time to give some thought to your ewes. Make sure that the ewes are in the proper condition for breeding season. You will want to begin flushing ewes 2-3 weeks before ram turnout. By moving the ewe to a higher plane of nutrition before breeding we can increase the number of ova that she ovulates and thereby increase the number of multiple births.
Late summer is also a good time to deworm the ewes prior to breeding.
Summer pastures become heavily populated with worm larvae by late summer and it is best to move ewes to a clean pasture at the time of deworming. Valbazen is an excellent choice of dewormers as long as the ram has not been turned out. Ivomec or Levasole are good options but they will not be effective against tapeworms. Now is also a good time to vaccinate the ewes for Chlamydia and Vibrio. Any ewes that are lame or unthrifty should be sorted from the pasture and treated or culled.