I am planning to breed my big flock of 2 ewes this November. I have read that red clover decreases fertility. Unfortunately all my pasture contains red clover-along with grass and of course weeds;) By november I imagine that most of the clover will be dead and they will be on hay. All the hay also contains red clover. Now, is hay the same as green plants for the fertility issue? How long do they need to be off the clover pasture before fertility is normal. One neighbor seems to do ok with the clover, but I havent talked to them to find out if they change things at breeding time. With only 2 if this is an issue it will be very apparent! I did overseed 1 hay field with alfalfa, but it didnt seem to do too well in the competition. Thanks, Tami in WI

-- Tami Bowser (windridg@chorus.net), August 03, 2000

Answers

just a thought... my neighbor raises beef and not one cow or heifer took t breeding so far and they are on red clover. i, ll mention this to them.

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), August 03, 2000.

You never hear the clover problem during flushing mentioned in the beef industry.

It is a real consideration with the sheep, but not a do or die thing. Many folks who don't know that clover has an enzyme that suppresses ovulation have been flushing and breeding on clover for years. It is not an exact science, and for reasons unknown, many sheep will breed on clover.

-- homestead2 (homestead@monroecty.net), August 03, 2000.

I think there was something on the sheep list about red clover -- at least, I know I saw something about it somewhere! Anyway, what was explained was that after it's dried, or hit by a killing frost, the enzyme or hormone or whatever no longer causes a problem. So if you aren't breeding until November, you should be alright, and the hay should be okay, too.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), August 03, 2000.

I have a lot of clover in my pastures and haven't noticed an impact on my cattle breeding season. I have heard cows on a high amount of clover can act like they are coming back into heat when they have indeed been bred. Only one of my cows hasn't had a calf. If she hadn't climbed over a 6' tall chain-line fence, she would no longer be here.

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), August 03, 2000.

Thank you,it is rather a relief to hear that all should go well. I have been trying to come up with something other than red clover pasture, but thats about all we have. I will also mention as Ken did that all our pasture was for beef cattle before and they did fine. Tami in WI

-- Tami Bowser (windridg@chorus.net), August 03, 2000.

The hormone problem is real, but it is caused by WHITE CLOVER, not red clover. To be more specific, it is only certain kinds of white clover, not all of them. Red clover is great for flushing, and causes no problems.

-- Leo (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), August 03, 2000.

I don't have sheep and don't know a lot about them, but I'm interested in lots of different things. So, I am curious -- what is "flushing" in regard to sheep? Thanks!

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), August 07, 2000.

The flushing question deserves an answer. A few weeks before you turn the rams in to breed your ewes, you make some changes in their diet that put them on the upswing and in weight gaining mode. It is to trigger reproductive cycling and encourage the dropping of as many eggs as the ewe is genetically capable of. We usually worm the ewes right before we flush them. (Actually the flushing will move some worms out of their system on its own.)

We either start them on grain or turn them in new, lush grass. You can flush on sweet corn fodder, if you have enough to cut plenty every day. Sometimes, we combine grain and new grass. You can flush on bread from the day old bakery.

If you have prolific ewes, it can make the difference in getting more twins and triplets. The idea is to try to get your ewes to cycle one time before the rams are turned in. Second cycling is usually more productive. We always tell our buyers - no need fretting at lambing time about how many multiple births you will get. The time to fret is at breeding time and have your ewes ready.

-- homestead2 (homestead@monroecty.net), August 07, 2000.

The original experiments with sheep breeding on red clover were done in pastures which were 80% red clover. The conception rate dropped from 98% on another pasture to 80% in the red clover pasture. What that means is that there's really nothing to worry about unless your pasture is a clover monoculture. Yes, there is an estrogenic compound in some clover at some times in its growth cycle, but it's just a non-issue in mixed pastures. I routinely move mine off the part of my pasture which is almost all grass to the part which has some clover growing to flush them for breeding. Don't worry about this issue.

-- Arnold Sherman (adsherman@nettaxi.com), August 08, 2000.