Hand mating
- In this system the females are allowed to mate one by one.
- In this system a ram or buck will not be allowed to mate more than three ewes/does in a day.
Advantages:
- This method ensure the expected time of lambing / kidding
- This system allows the farmer to know that the animal has actually bred.
- This system reduces the risk of injuries to the animals.
- It is beneficial when mating older male with a younger female.
- It also improves the breeding efficiency of male, resulting in an increased number of females that can be bred in shorter period of time.
2. Pen mating
In this mating system the ewes/does are divided into batches varying from 20 to 25 ewes/does.
- Males are turned in to the flock only during the night time and separated during day time.
Advantages:
- This system of mating prevents the disturbances to the ewes/does by the male during grazing hours.
- Males are also given enough rest and they can be fed properly.
3. Flock mating/pasture mating
Disadvantages:
- In this system males are allowed to run along with the females throughout the day and night.
- The male may lose it most of its body reserves in chasing the females and they may lose their body conditions.
- The ram or buck sometimes may develop attraction for particular ewe or doe in heat and serve it a number of times while other remains unattended resulting in empty ewes/does and low fertility rate.
- The ram/buck some time exhaust itself overnight by serving more than a dozen times and the last served ewes or does not receive optimum number of spermatozoa and remain unconceived.
4. Artificial insemination
- Artificial insemination offer the best means of distributing germplasm from nucleus breeding flock to many small flocks within each eco system.
- Fresh as well as frozen semen is used.
- The speculum method of insemination is used for ewes and does.
- Generally artificial insemination leads to lower reproductive rate than natural service and frozen semen gives even much low pregnancy rate that is around 40%.
- Cervical insemination is generally followed for better conception rate. Courtesy By : Tamilanadu Agriculture University
