Fertility in South Australian commercial Merino flocks: aspects of management

Wide variation in reproductive performance of commercial Merino flocks in south central Australia is the result of genetic and environmental influences that are both amenable to change through decisions of management. Relationships of reproductive traits (estrus, ovulation, fertility, fecundity, lamb survival, and lambs weaned) with variables that graziers can change or modify (strain of Merino, day or month of exposure of ewes to rams, ram effect or teasing, length of the mating period, ram percentage, days between weaning and next mating, stocking density and flock size at lambing, ewe liveweight, and condition) are reported in this paper, the third in a series. Small differences were observed between medium and strong-wool South Australian Merino strains for reproductive traits. Choosing the time of year that ewes are exposed to rams, between late spring to autumn, may result in reduced ovulation rate during early summer (December) giving a potentially smaller net reproductive efficiency (lambs weaned). The ram effect or teasing, used by about 50% of graziers to synchronise lambing, could be effectively employed to the end of January. The technique was not reproductively advantageous when compared with flocks that were not teased. The percentage of rams mated to ewes varied widely (approximately 1-3%) and did not alter flock fertility, suggesting that a substantial proportion of graziers could safely reduce the number of rams purchased. A positive relationship between incidence of estrus during the first 14 d of the cycle and the number of days from weaning to next mating and a negative relationship of returns to service with the same variable indicates that managers should consider increasing the time allowed for recovery of liveweight and body condition by adjusting age at weaning, length of the mating period, or both. Lamb survival was curvilinearly related to flock size and not stocking intensity, with the optimum size at about 400 ewes. The number of lambs weaned per 100 ewes exposed to rams increased by 1.0 kg(-1) increase in liveweight at mating. We concluded that the major factor controlling net reproductive efficiency is nutritional in origin through its effects on ewe liveweight and condition, and is a factor that can be largely manipulated through management.