Lifting Fertility
Selection for fertility
Paparata has been lambing hoggets since 2000. The experience has been very positive and it is a trait we will continue to prioritise. The onset of oestrus is a good indicator of lifetime fertility. Any hoggets retained that have scanned dry join a flock that is mated to a terminal sire. Hogget lambing has contributed to the increase in Paparata flock pregnancy rates.
Average hogget tupping weight 42kgs
Average hogget pregnancy scanning 108%
Advantages are:
Hoggets are good mothers and this continues as a 2 tooth
Hoggets do not lamb until October so do not compete for early spring feed
Growing the hoggets into 2 tooth’s has not been a problem. Scanned in-lamb hoggets scan higher as a 2 tooth than those that have not scanned in-lamb as a hogget
Even with vaccination, there is some aborted lamb losses to ewes lambing for the first time. Hogget lambing eliminated these losses from 2 tooths
We draft lambs off their hogget mothers at the end of January
The graph above shows the genetic progress that Paparata has made for reproduction.