Breeding Practices

These are practices carried out to enhance successful breeding.

Crutching and Ringing

• Crutching - cutting of wool around the external reproductive organs of female sheep.

• Ringing - trimming wool around the sheath of the penis of the rams to facilitate mating.

Tupping and Serving

• Tupping refers to mating in sheep and goats.

• Serving refers to mating in cattle and pigs.

Raddling

• This is the practice of fitting the rams with breeding chutes which are painted in different colours during mating

• to identify mated ewes and to indicate the active rams hence help in culling of the weak rams.