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Ram and buck management

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 Author's personal copy

Animal Reproduction Science 130 (2012) 180–183

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Animal Reproduction Science

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anireprosci

Ram and buck management夽

A.L. Ridler ∗ , S.L. Smith, D.M. West
Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Careful management is necessary to ensure the reproductive success in any small ruminant
Available online 25 January 2012 farm and to maximise the productive longevity of rams and bucks. Rams and bucks are
frequently overlooked outside of the breeding period, but year-round attention to nutrition,
Keywords: parasite control and general disease control is important in keeping them healthy and
Breeding soundness
sound for breeding. Pre-mating soundness examinations are an inexpensive and relatively
Buck
easy way to assess the potential ability of a ram or buck to perform during the breeding
Genital system
Goat
period and should be incorporated annually into the management of any flock. During the
Male breeding period, careful thought should be given to the appropriate use of males, and the
Reproduction effectiveness of mating should be monitored.
Ram
Sheep

1. Introduction 8 weeks prior to start of the mating season, because fac-

A breeding ram or buck represents a significant invest-
ment and the aim of every farmer should be to ensure that
their working life is as productive and long as possible. Poor
management may result in rams or bucks that are either not
sound for breeding or are culled or die well before the end
of their productive lives.
tors affecting scrotal temperature, such as transportation,
stress or crowding, can affect spermatogenesis and semen
quality (Moule and Waites, 1963). Following purchase, they
should be held in quarantine, undergo the administration of
an appropriate anthelmintic program, vaccinated as appro-
priate and inspected for diseases such as footrot (Sargison,
2008).

2. Selection and purchase 3. General considerations – seasonality and puberty

Depending on where in the world they are, rams and
bucks for breeding are usually selected primarily on the
basis of phenotype or genotype. Regardless, prior to pur-
chase they should be inspected or come with an assurance
that they are genitally sound, free from physical abnormali-
ties and where appropriate free from specific diseases. They
should be purchased and transported to the farm at least
夽 This paper is part of the special issue entitled: Reproductive Health
Management of Sheep and Goats, Guest Edited by G.S. Amiridis and
G.C. Fthenakis.
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: a.l.ridler@massey.ac.nz (A.L. Ridler).
Breeds of sheep and goat range from breeding all year
round to being short-day breeders. In general, breeds that
originated from countries in between 35◦ N and 35◦ S are
likely to breed all year round; northern European breeds
are likely to be distinctly short-day breeders, while breeds
from intermediate latitudes may have a short anoestrous
period. There is also a large variation within breeds (Rosa
and Bryant, 2003). Of those breeds that display season-
ality, females exhibit oestrous primarily during autumn,
whereas the males are capable of breeding all year round,
but their sexual activity and sperm production is greater
during the breeding season (Rosa and Bryant, 2003).
In seasonal breeds, exposure of the females to males
shortly before the start of their normal breeding season

0378-4320/$ – see front matter

doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2012.01.012
 Author's personal copy
A.L. Ridler et al. / Animal Reproduction Science 130 (2012) 180–183
results in a small advancement of the start of oestrous activ-
ity; this is sometimes referred to as the ‘ram effect’ (Rosa
and Bryant, 2002). It also results in oestrous synchronisa-
tion which is more evident in goats than sheep (Jainudeen
et al., 2000; Martin et al., 1986). Vasectomised males are
used in some flocks to advance the start of the breeding
season, to advance the mean date of parturition (Thompson
et al., 1990) or to advance the onset of puberty in 7- to 9-
month-old ewes (Kenyon et al., 2006). The recommended
timing of introduction of vasectomised males is 14–17 days
prior to the start of mating period (Knight, 1980; Kenyon
et al., 2006; Sargison, 2008).
Puberty in small ruminants is related to age and body
weight. Most rams/bucks reach puberty at the age of 4–6
months and 60% of mature body weight (Jainudeen et al.,
2000). Once the animals have reached puberty, they may be
used for breeding, although, in seasonal breeds, it is com-
mon to wait until the following breeding season, when they
are 17–19 months old.
4. Management outside the mating period
Despite their economic value, rams and bucks are often
largely ignored outside of the breeding period. As with
all livestock, attention to health, in particular nutrition,
parasite control and foot health, throughout the year is
essential. Annual breeding soundness examinations are
recommended.
5. Breeding soundness examinations
Sperm development in the ram and buck takes approx-
imately 50 days. Therefore, examination for breeding
soundness is recommended to take place at least 6–8 weeks
before the onset of the breeding season, to allow time for
resolution of temporary problems or purchase of new ani-
mals if necessary. Parametres routinely evaluated include
general health, body condition score and genital examina-
tion, which includes evaluation of scrotal circumference,
testicular tone and lesions. In some cases, semen evalu-
ation, mating tests and general disease testing may also
be performed. Rams/bucks are subsequently classified as
‘sound/satisfactory’, ‘temporarily unsound/questionable’
or ‘unsound’.
5.1. Scrotal circumference
Scrotal circumference is a widely used parametre in
assessing breeding soundness of rams and bucks. In rams,
the correlation between scrotal circumference and testic-
ular weight, number of sperm in the testes and number of
sperm in the epididymides has been estimated at around
0.92, 0.77 and 0.82 respectively (Lino, 1972; Knight, 1977;
Foster et al., 1989). Increased scrotal circumferences has
also been associated with increased ejaculate volume and
sperm motility in mature rams (Weimer and Ruttle, 1987).
Scrotal circumference shows marked variation in sea-
sonal breeds. In rams, differences of up to 30% in testicular
volume have been reported between spring and autumn
(Rosa and Bryant, 2003); similar findings have been
reported in seasonal-breed goat bucks (Walkden-Brown
181
Table 1
Interpretation of scrotal circumference in rams.
Ram age Exceptional Satisfactory Questionable
8–14 months
>14 months
From Bulgin (1992).
et al., 1994). Appropriate cut-off values for classifying an
animal based on scrotal circumference are controversial,
as they can vary due to age, season, breed and individ-
ual variation. In a USA study, involving examination and
semen evaluation of over 3000 range rams, Ruttle and
Southward (1988) reported that rams with a scrotal cir-
cumference of <30.8 cm were more likely to be classified as
unsatisfactory. Bulgin (1992) suggested scrotal circumfer-
ence guidelines for rams (Table 1), but recommended that
no ‘unsatisfactory’ rating be used and that practicing veteri-
narians use their common sense in interpretation of scrotal
circumference. Other relevant factors, such as age, breed,
season, testicular tone, nutrition, parasite and other con-
current disease status, previous reproductive history and
other abnormalities, should be taken into account when
evaluating scrotal circumference.
5.2. Testes tone
In an animal ready for breeding, the testes should be
firm. Testes that are soft in texture may be due to season,
age, a congenital defect or subsequent to injury or infection
of either the genitalia or systemic illness. Temporary heat
stress results in soft testes, testicular degeneration and a
transient decrease in semen quality (Blanchard et al., 1991),
as does under-nutrition.
5.3. Lesions or abnormalities of the testes and
epididymides
Lesions of the epididymides are relatively common
in rams and are usually due to congenital abnormali-
ties or bacterial infections; more often, the Gram-negative
pleomorphic group of bacteria Histophilus ovis and Acti-
nobacillus seminis and Brucella spp. are involved, although,
occasionally other bacterial infections or lesions may occur.
There is no effective treatment for most epididymal and
testicular lesions.
5.4. Semen evaluation
Some veterinarians routinely include semen evaluation,
as part of a breeding soundness examination, whilst oth-
ers only do so when there is a clear indication for it. In
most clinical situations collection of semen can be achieved
by electro-ejaculation (Sargison, 2008). Generally a thor-
ough genital examination will identify most genital defects
and it is debatable whether routine semen evaluation of
commercial sires that are to be mated as a group of males
(‘syndicate’) can be justified. However it may be useful in
situations where males are of unproven fertility, are valu-
able, are to be single-sire mated, have a history of poor
reproductive performance or abnormalities are detected on
 Author's personal copy
182 A.L. Ridler et al. / Animal Reproduction Science 130 (2012) 180–183
clinical examination. Today, an array of modern diagnostic
techniques has been developed for evaluation of semen and
can be used in animals used to provide semen for artificial
insemination (Tsakmakidis, 2010).
5.5. Mating tests
A number of mating tests (also referred to as serving
capacity tests or libido tests) have been described, includ-
ing introducing rams to ewes in open or closed pens, using
long or short test intervals, using ewes in oestrous or
not either restrained or unrestrained and putting one or
multiple rams in the test arena at a time (Gouletsou and
Fthenakis, 2010). There is conflicting evidence on the rela-
tionship between mating tests and flock fertility (Fowler,
1984). It is likely that these differences exist due to dif-
ferences in application and interpretation of the tests,
variations in breeding management, as well as interdepen-
dence between mating tests, body weight and testicular
size (Barwick et al., 1989). The practical difficulties in
carrying out mating tests and the uncertainty in their inter-
pretation mean they are rarely applied in a commercial
situation. Commercial farmers frequently use more rams
than necessary and in groups, so it could be argued that
even if a proportion of males are relatively inactive, this
is unlikely to have a large impact on flock reproductive
performance.
6. Breeding management
A successful breeding period relies on mating an appro-
priate number of sound males to reproductively active
females and monitoring to identify any problems.
6.1. Mating ratios
The appropriate mating ratio (number of male to
female animals) for any situation would vary depending
on the numbers, ages and nutritional status of the animals
involved, the mating management, the time of the year,
terrain and feed availability.
Mating ratios of 1 ram per 30–50 ewes (2–3% rams)
are frequently mentioned in texts (Jainudeen et al., 2000;
Vipond and Greig, 2007); similar ratios have been reported
for goat herds. However, a number of studies have demon-
strated that, when mature rams are mated to mature ewes,
fewer rams can be used with no impact on reproductive
performance. Allison (1975) reported no significant differ-
ence in reproductive performance between groups at ratios
of 3:210, 3:420 or 3:630, although it should be emphasised
that the rams used were experienced, sound for breeding
and aged between 2.5 and 3.5 years; moreover, they were
mating mature ewes in relatively small fields (6–8 ha). As
the mating ratio increases above about 1:100, there may
be a reduction in the mean number of rams mating each
ewe (Fowler, 1984) and a reduction in the number of ewes
served in the first 14 days of mating (Lightfoot and Smith,
1968). When ratios of greater than 1:80 to 1:100 are used,
it is recommended that the rams are assessed for breed-
ing soundness prior to mating and that at least three rams
are used in a group (Vipond and Greig, 2007) to decrease
impact of any ram with poor performance.
Ram age has an influence on mating ratios. Younger
rams produce less total ejaculate than mature rams
(Lightfoot, 1968; Allison, 1978; Weimer and Ruttle, 1987)
and several studies have suggested that, when 1.5 year-
old rams were used for mating, the number of ewes per
ram should be reduced (Lightfoot and Smith, 1968; Allison,
1978). There is limited scientific literature regarding the
use of 7- to 9-month-old rams for mating, although the
general recommendation is to use ratios of 1:30 (Vipond
and Greig, 2007) and to avoid mating between ram-lambs
and ewe-lambs (Kenyon et al., 2007).
Factors related to the female animals can also influ-
ence mating ratios. Younger ewes (<2.5 years of age) tend
to have better reproductive performance when there are
fewer ewes per ram (Lightfoot and Smith, 1968; Kenyon
et al., 2010). When oestrous cycle of ewes is controlled by
using progesterone inserts, mating ratios of ≤1:10 are rec-
ommended (Sargison, 2008). Similarly, when vasectomised
rams have been introduced prior to mating, resulting in a
degree of synchronisation, fewer ewes per ram are recom-
mended.
Other considerations when determining mating ratios
include nutritional status, mating management, time of the
year, terrain and feed availability. Under-nutrition of rams
results in a reduction in testicular size and fewer sperm
produced per gram of testicular tissue (Dunn and Moss,
1992). The effect of paddock size is likely to be influenced
by the topography of the paddock, the area to be covered by
ewes and rams, feed availability, flock dispersion, ram-ewe
contact and mating activity (Fowler, 1984).
6.2. Mating management
Rams or bucks are usually joined with females for 2–3
oestrous cycles. Males are often rotated between groups of
females and ‘follow-up’ males may be introduced for the
final oestrous cycle. Such practices reduce the impact of
any poor performing males. The effectiveness of mating can
be monitored by use of mating harnesses or daily applica-
tion of paint to the sternum of male animals. It is common
for rams or bucks to develop lameness, injuries or other
health problems during the mating period, hence regular
inspection during mating is recommended.
7. Concluding remarks
Careful management is necessary to ensure the repro-
ductive success of any sheep flock/goat herd and to
maximise the productive longevity of rams and bucks.
Rams and bucks are frequently overlooked outside of the
breeding period, but year-round attention to nutrition, par-
asite control and general disease control is important in
keeping them healthy and sound for breeding. Pre-mating
soundness examinations are inexpensive and relatively
easy for assessing potential ability of a ram or buck to
perform during the breeding period; they should be incor-
porated annually into the management of any flock. During
the breeding period careful thought should be given to the
 Author's personal copy
A.L. Ridler et al. / Animal Reproduction Science 130 (2012) 180–183
appropriate use of males and the effectiveness of mating
should be monitored.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors have nothing to disclose.
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