Are your tup’s up to the job?
Are your tup’s up to the job?
Reduced fertility performance in tups can have a detrimental effect on scanning percentages and can lead to an extended lambing period. Often subfertile tups are only noticed well into the breeding period when ewes are returning.
A pre-breeding examination can rule out common health problems, assess the genitalia, and check semen quality. It can take 6 weeks for sperm production to recover after a problem (stress, lameness, disease etc), so it is important to schedule the pre-breeding exam at least 8 weeks before the planned start of breeding.
The 5 T’s of the tup exam
- Teeth – Check for under or overshot jaw and dental health. It is important that he can eat well during the breeding season to maintain his energy status and body condition.
- Toes – Check for any signs of lameness, infectious disease, or arthritis. Assess his locomotion.
- Tone – Assess his body condition score. Aim for 3.5-4.
- Testicles – Measure scrotal size, check firmness and feel for any lumps.
- Treatment – Chance to give any treatments e.g. vaccinations or parasite products.
Assessing the semen quality
If the tup passes the first half of the test then a semen sample will be taken with the aid of an electro-ejaculator and examined under the microscope. The motility and number of abnormal sperm will be assessed.
