Currently there is a lack of reliable information addressing productive, economic and welfare effects of docking lamb tails at different lengths, or leaving them intact. This Alliance Group project will investigate whether docking at different tail lengths affects economic returns to the farm and/or has any impact on the welfare of the lamb.
Hill Country Central Progeny Test Project, Koromiko - Ovita Consortium
The central progeny test project was instigated to ask the following questions: "do high performance rams perform well in different environments?" and "do top performing rams on the flat still perform well on harder hill country?"
Taratahi’s Koromiko Farm in Wairarapa is one of five farms involved in this Ovita Consortium project. The farm measure and record traits such as ewe scanning live weight and presence, number of lambs and estimated date of conception, ewe condition, lamb weaning weight and sex, ewe live weight at weaning and presence, DNA sample on lamb, date and mob of slaughter, yield grade and health status (e.g. pleurisy).
This year 810 ewes were selected for the programme on Koromiko, of which all but 80 were artificially inseminated. The intention next year is to increase the ewe number to 1,000.
A large number of sheep and beef students have been involved throughout the different processes associated with the trial, including:
- Ewe selection
- Inserting cidrs
- Harnessing and put out teaser rams
- Drafting into sire groups
- Assisting the vets and technicians with the AI process
- Condition scoring and weighing
- Collecting saliva swabs for the Carla test
- Collecting TSU samples for DNA parentage