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Summary

Conception rates in both mixed age and yearling hinds on the Shaw’s property have been below targets for three consecutive years. There are several things that may contribute to this and one that was suggested at the Advance Party meeting was mating management. In particular hinds have been mated with two stags to 100 hinds with no stag rotation. It was suggested that this could contribute to lower conception rates as the stags may expend too much time and energy fighting each other rather than mating hinds. A controlled trial was conducted to test the difference in conception rates between hinds that were mated in a mob of 2 stags to 100 hinds versus single sire mated with a back-up stag. There was no difference in conception rate between these groups (95.5% versus 96.5%, respectively). This conception rate was significantly greater than the past three years (82%, 85% and 80%). Factors other than mating ratio are likely to have caused the improved conception rate, although mating ratio could not be completely ruled out. Yearling hinds were mated with yearling stags at a ratio of 1:4 stags to hinds. The conception rate in this mob was 83% compared to 62, 44, and 22% in previous years when yearlings had been single sire mated. Other factors such as genetics and nutrition are likely to have contributed to this improved conception rate.