Martin Farms

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

Breeding on a Calendar - Article 4: Flushing

Flushing is one of those words people use a lot around breeding season.

- “Flush the ewes.”
- “Flush the does.”
- “Put them on better feed.”
- “Get them gaining before breeding.”

On the surface, people aren't necessarily wrong, but flushing is a little deeper than just feeding extra.

"Flushing is using nutrition before breeding to change the metabolic message the female’s body is receiving."

That difference is important to wrap your head around because the o***y is not working by itself... It's listening to the rest of the animal.

*Flushing is a short-term nutritional signal*

In simple terms, flushing means improving nutrition before breeding to support reproductive performance.

Most people think of that as adding energy, and sometimes that's right.

But we shouldn't fall into the trap of oversimplifying this as just “more feed.”

The point is that the animal’s body is reading nutrient availability.

When nutrition improves before breeding, the female may receive a different "metabolic message".

- More available energy.
- Better rumen function.
- Improved plane of nutrition.
- More support for follicle growth.

All of these things can mean a better chance that the system sees reproduction as something it can afford.

That's why flushing is usually discussed before breeding, not after the breeding window has already passed.

We are trying to influence the system before ovulation, fertilization, and early embryo development.

*The follicle that ovulates was not built yesterday*

This part often gets overlooked:

- Follicles do not magically appear on breeding day.
- They have been developing before that.
- The follicle that eventually ovulates is part of a process already underway before the female ever stands for the ram or buck.

That means the nutritional state going into breeding matters.

- Energy status matters.
- Protein supply matters.
- Body condition matters.
- Mineral status matters.
- Rumen stability matters.

Parasite load, disease, lactation, heat stress, and competition at the feeder can all change the message the reproductive system is receiving.

This is a big one....

Flushing works best when it supports a system that is already close enough to respond. I like to think of it like a "metabolic nudge".

NOT a rescue mission.

*“When should I start flushing?”*

This is kinda one of those "how many bubbles are in a bar of soap?" questions. It depends...

The best answer is:

It depends on what problem you are trying to solve. People use the word "flushing" for two very different situations.

If the female is already in good functional body condition, flushing is usually a short-term breeding preparation tool.

In that situation, many producers think in terms of starting about 2 or 3 weeks before breeding and carrying that improved plane of nutrition through the early breeding window.

The goal is not to make her fat!

The goal is to improve the metabolic signal going into follicle development, ovulation, and early conception.

But if she is thin, rough, parasitized, still recovering from lactation, or simply not in breeding condition, that is not really flushing.

That is rehabilitation before breeding... and that needs to start much earlier.

A short-term bump in feed cannot fix a long-term deficit in two weeks.

So the better question is not only:

“When should I start flushing?”

The better question is:

"What condition are they in right now, and what nutritional message do I want the reproductive system receiving before breeding?"

*Thin animals and ready animals are not the same issue*

A thin female may need recovery, and she may need time.

She may need calories, protein, parasite control, mineral support, reduced stress, or fewer demands on her body.

Calling that “flushing” can make the problem sound smaller than it really is.

Sometimes we are not flushing; sometimes we are trying to repair the system before breeding. That takes longer, and how much longer can depend on the condition of the ewe or doe.

A female already in acceptable body condition is a different story.

In that animal, a short-term improvement in nutrition before breeding may help support ovarian activity and ovulation rate.

That's closer to the classic idea of flushing.

In plain language:

Flushing works best when the animal is already near breeding readiness.

If she is too far behind, the calendar may say breeding season, but her body may not be there yet.

*More condition is not always better*

The other mistake is assuming fat equals ready, and honestly I see this issue more often than I see underconditioned animals.

Overconditioned females can have their own problems.

- Poor mobility.
- Heat stress.
- Lower functional appetite during stressful periods.
- Metabolic inefficiency.
- More difficulty handling management changes.
.. and this isn't even touching the downstream problems being overconditioned can cause during pregnancy.

A breeding female does not need to be fat; she needs to be functional.

The goal is not maximum body condition.

The goal is appropriate body condition for breeding, pregnancy, birth, and lactation.

This consideration matters, especially when animals are managed around show dates, sale photos, travel, collection schedules, and our own schedules and obligations.

An animal can look darn good and still not be metabolically ideal for breeding... the o***y does not care how good she looked in the backdrop photo.

It responds to biology.

*Flushing is not just grain*

Flushing often gets translated as:

“Add grain.”

That's kinda a lazy way to look at it. Sometimes grain can be part of the plan, but there is a lot more going on here.

-The rumen still matters.
-The microbes still matter.
- Effective fiber still matters.

Sudden diet changes can create problems that work against the goal. I see some people starting pouring the coals to their females with grain in a short period of time and end up causing more problems than good.

If the rumen is thrown out of whack, intake drops, manure changes, acidosis risk increases, or animals go off feed, then “better feed” was not actually better for the system.

The goal is to improve the plane of nutrition while keeping the rumen stable. This can mean lots of different things without simply adding more grain.

- Better pasture.
- Better hay.
- A controlled increase in concentrate.
- More consistent intake.
- Adequate protein.
- Appropriate minerals (this is a big one people miss).
- Less competition / enough bunk space.
- Less stress around feeding.

The details depend on your farm and what your goals are. I know some of you don't feed any grain, and that's OK.

The principle is the same:
Feed the system in a way the system can actually use it.

*Flushing and ovulation rate*

One reason flushing gets attention is that improved nutrition before breeding can influence ovulation rate in some animals.

That's a big one because ovulation rate affects the potential number of lambs or kids. Lord knows I'm happier when I have twins as compared to singles...

But you also have to come at this from a common sense angle as well. More ovulations are not automatically better in every system.

- The dam still has to carry the pregnancy.
- She still has to lamb or kid successfully.
- She still has to produce milk.
- You still have to manage newborn survival.
- The barn still has to handle the load.
- The feed program still has to support lactation.

Every system pays somewhere. This is non-negotiable.

The goal should not simply be “more babies" as much as productive, survivable, manageable reproduction.

*The practical lesson*

Flushing is not just “feed more.”

"Flushing is an attempt to improve the metabolic message going into breeding".

When done well, it can help support ovarian activity, ovulation response, and breeding performance.

When done poorly, it can disrupt the rumen, add unnecessary condition, or create the illusion that a short-term feed change can fix a long-term management problem.

The better question is not:

“Did we flush them?”

The better question is:

"What nutritional message was the reproductive system receiving before breeding?"

Next in the series:
Article 5 - Progesterone

We will look at one of the most important hormones in controlled breeding: what progesterone does, why the corpus luteum matters, and why CIDRs make more sense when we understand the hormone they are trying to mimic.

06/01/2026

Breeding on a Calendar - Article 3: The Ram and Buck Effect

A ram or buck is not just present at breeding.

We can fall into the trap of thinking our males are just kinda "showing up to the party" when it's breeding time.

However, in the right situation, his presence can help change what is happening inside the female’s reproductive system.

That is the basic idea behind the ram effect and buck effect. Moving forward through this article, you will see me use the term "male effect". Just know, I'm referring to the ram/buck effect.

The male effect is a sensory-triggered hormone response.
- The female smells him.
- Hears him.
- Sees him.
- Interacts with him.
..And if she is biologically capable of responding, those signals can help "wake up" the communication between her brain, hormone system, and ovaries.

- The male effect starts before breeding happens -

When a female is suddenly exposed to a sexually active male after a period of separation, her body may respond before any breeding occurs.

The important word is *suddenly*.

If the male has been there all along, he becomes part of the background.

- His smell is normal.
- His sound is normal.
- His presence is normal.

But when females have been kept away from males, and then a ram or buck is reintroduced, that change can become a biological event.

The female is not thinking, “There is a male here, so I should cycle.”

- Her nervous system is receiving sensory information.
- That information can influence the brain.
- The brain can increase reproductive hormone signaling.
- The ovaries may respond.

That is the ram and buck effect in plain language.

- Smell is a major part of the signal -

People often use the word “pheromones,” and that is a reasonable way to think about part of this.

In sheep and goats, male odor can carry reproductive information.

*The smell of a sexually active ram or buck is not just barn stank*

Male hair, fleece, skin secretions, urine contamination, and rut-related odor can all be part of what females detect.

"Odor information is processed through the nose and accessory smell pathways, including the vomeronasal system."

This is also where the famous curled-lip, wrinkled-nose behavior comes in. Everyone knows this lovely sight after the ram or buck usually sticks their nose directly into the urine of a female...

When a ram or buck lifts his lip, curls his nose, and seems to “taste” the air after smelling urine or reproductive secretions, that is called the "flehmen response".

He is helping move odor molecules toward specialized sensory tissue.

In plain language:

He's sampling chemical information.

That behavior is often seen when males investigate females, especially around estrus.

So yes... smell matters.

But it is not just "smell" in the casual sense; think of it more like chemical communication.

- The brain turns smell into hormone signaling -

The male effect isn't happening because the uterus smelled a buck or ram (silly analogy, but worth saying).

It's happening because sensory information reaches the brain, and from there, the brain can influence the reproductive hormone system.

One of the key changes (in veterinary manual lingo) is "increased pulsatile signaling in the reproductive axis".

In simpler terms, the brain starts sending stronger or more frequent reproductive “pulses” downstream.

- Those signals influence the pituitary gland.
- The pituitary influences the ovaries.
- The ovaries may then move follicles closer to ovulation.

That is the useful part of the male effect.

The male is not simply “making her breed.”

He is helping stimulate the brain-o***y conversation.

*Sometimes that first ovulation can be silent, meaning the female ovulates without showing obvious standing heat.
..Then a more visible heat may follow later.

This is one reason people can misunderstand what they are seeing.

They expect immediate, obvious heat, but the first response may be hormonal before it's behavioral. I will touch more on "silent heat" in later articles.

- Separation is what makes the signal louder -

I remember getting deployed in the military, and my wife was always much happier to see me after I had been gone for a few months, as compared to me annoying her every day. As they say... absence makes the heart grow fonder.

From a 30K-foot view, you can look at the male effect the same way; separation matters.

The goal is not just physical separation (do not fall into this trap).

*The goal is sensory separation*

- No smell.
- No nose-to-nose contact.
- No shared fence line.
- No constant vocal contact.
- Ideally, not even sight.

If females can smell, hear, or interact with males every day, then introducing a male later may not create the same response.

Basically, the signal is already old news.

Different systems use different separation periods, but the general idea is several weeks of meaningful separation before reintroduction.

- Some recommendations around a month.
- Others use closer to six weeks.
- I personally find 2 months or more on our farm works best.

Distance matters because odor, sound, and fence-line exposure can defeat the purpose.

This is why the male effect is easier to talk about than it is to truly create on a small farm. Many people simply don't have the land available to create this level of separation.

Simply put...

If the ewe flock can smell the ram lot every day, you may not get the same “new male” response as on a farm where males and females were genuinely separated.

- Are males seasonal too? -

Yes.

Rams and bucks are not machines either.

They're influenced by season, light, hormones, nutrition, body condition, age, health, and management.

In many breeds, males become more sexually active as the breeding season approaches.

Bucks may go into rut, develop stronger odor, urinate on themselves, vocalize more, seek females more aggressively, and show stronger breeding behavior.

Rams may show increased libido, more interest in ewes, more dominance behavior, and changes in semen quality or breeding performance across the year.

This matters because the male effect is stronger when the male is sexually active.

"A quiet, low-libido, out-of-season male may not produce the same level of stimulation as a mature, active male in breeding condition".

The male is not just a trigger. He's got his own biology too.

He is also reading the season.

- Do females bring males into rut? -

Female presence can absolutely intensify male behavior.

- A buck that smells does in heat may act more dramatic.
- A ram exposed to cycling ewes may show stronger interest.

Female urine, vaginal secretions, behavior, and movement can all stimulate the male.

So yes... females can influence males.

But that's not the same as saying females create a rut from nothing.

The male’s seasonal reproductive readiness is already being shaped by his own hormone system.

Day length, testosterone, nutrition, age, and health all matter.

The female may turn the volume up, but she's usually not the one who built the stereo.

- What about wethers? -

A wether is NOT the same as an intact, sexually active male.

Castration changes testosterone.

Testosterone changes sexual behavior, odor, gland activity, urine-marking behavior, libido, and the intensity of male signals.

- A wether may still provide social contact.
- He may even show some mounting behavior depending on the individual.
- But he shouldn't be assumed to create the same male effect as a mature, intact, sexually active ram or buck.

The male effect depends heavily on the male being biologically male in the reproductive sense, not just being shaped like one.

As a side note, many farms will use vasectomized rams and bucks, often referred to as "teasers".

- Can a buck affect ewes or a ram affect does? -

This is a fair question, and we see this a lot. I have known some sheep farmers over the years who attempt to use the stinkiest goat buck they can find to help cycle ewes. This often has mixed results.

*There is evidence that some male odor signals can cross between sheep and goats*

So biologically, it is not ridiculous to ask.

But from a management standpoint, I would be careful.

- A buck may stimulate some response in ewes.
- A ram may stimulate some response in does.

But I would not treat that as equal to using the correct species, a sexually active male, and a system designed around that response.

In real-world breeding management, species-specific males make the most sense.

A ram for ewes.

A buck for does.

At the end of the day, the closer we stay to the natural signal, the less guessing we have to do.

- The response is not always an immediate visible heat -

"The male effect tends to be most useful when females are close enough to respond: near the edge of cycling, in a transition period, or capable of responding but not fully active yet".

If they are already cycling strongly, the male is not “starting” much.

If ewes and does are deeply out of season, thin, sick, heat-stressed, heavily lactating, parasitized, or metabolically strained, the signal may be weaker or inconsistent.

*A signal only works if the receiver can respond*

- The practical lesson -

The ram and buck effect is not folklore.

It's a real example of sensory information changing reproductive hormone signaling.

- The male provides chemical, visual, behavioral, and social stimulation.
- The female’s brain interprets those signals.
- Hormone pulses can change.
- The ovaries may become more active.
- Ovulation may be stimulated if the female is capable of responding.

That's why separation matters.

That is why male sexual activity matters.

That is why season matters.

That's why a wether is not the same as an intact male.

The ram or buck effect is biology moving through the senses.

And when we understand that, the male doesn't look so much like an afterthought in the breeding program; he becomes part of the reproductive signal system.

Next in the series:
Article 4 - Flushing

We will look at how nutrition before breeding can influence ovarian response, why flushing is more than “feed them extra,” and why metabolic readiness matters before we ask the reproductive system to perform.

06/01/2026

Breeding on a Calendar - Article 2: Why Darkness Matters

In Article 1, we talked about the calendar inside the animal.

Not the calendar we write on paper... the biological calendar.

The one influenced by light, darkness, season, nutrition, body condition, hormone signaling, and the animal’s ability to respond.

Now I would like to look more closely at one of the main signals in that calendar:

*Darkness*

That may sound strange at first because most of us hear a lot about light.

- Sunlight.
- Day length.
- Long days.
- Short days.
- Barn lights.

But... in many seasonal breeders, the body is not only measuring how much light it sees. It is also measuring how long darkness lasts.

*This is where melatonin enters the conversation*

- Melatonin is a darkness signal -

Melatonin is often called the “darkness hormone” because the body releases more of it during darkness.

- When nights are short, the melatonin signal is shorter.
- When nights are long, the melatonin signal lasts longer.

Longer darkness signals help tell the body:
The season is changing.

In short-day seasonal breeders, like many sheep and some goats, that message can help shift the reproductive system toward stronger breeding activity.

But melatonin doesn't directly "make an animal pregnant". It also doesn't replace nutrition, body condition, health, semen quality, or timing.

Melatonin is best thought of as a signal. A very important signal, but still just a signal.

- The body is reading night length -

The animal is not thinking:
“It is October. Time to breed.”

The animal is reading environmental cues.

One of those cues is the pattern of light and darkness.

As days shorten and nights lengthen, the melatonin signal changes. That change helps the brain interpret the season.

From there, the brain can influence the hormone system that talks to the ovaries.

The simple version looks like this:

Darkness → melatonin → brain → hormone signaling → ovaries

That is why darkness matters.

- Light can change the message -

If we look at darkness as information, then light at the wrong time can change the information the animal receives.

- It doesn't mean one barn light automatically ruins reproduction.
- It doesn't mean every security light is destroying fertility.
- And it doesn't mean we need to become dramatic about every bulb in the barn (you'll drive yourself crazy if you go this route).

But... it does mean light exposure is not always neutral.

Lights late at night, bright barn lights, show facilities, artificial lighting programs, and inconsistent light exposure can all influence what the animal’s brain interprets as “season.”

- Light programs work because the system can be influenced -

This is why controlled lighting programs can work.

*They are not acting directly on the uterus*

They are attempts to manipulate the animal’s PERCEPTION of season.

Look at it this way... humans can use light and darkness to influence what the brain thinks the season is doing.

- Melatonin products are not fertility in a bottle -

Melatonin may be used in some breeding management systems because it can help mimic or support a seasonal darkness signal.

But... I would not advise going so far as to treat it like a magic switch.

If an animal is thin, sick, stressed, heavily lactating, heat-stressed, parasitized, mineral-deficient, or not biologically ready to respond, melatonin does not erase those problems.

It may help send a seasonal message, but the animal still has to do the biology. A whole lot of things still have to happen correctly to get to pregnancy....

- Follicles still have to develop.
- Hormone signals still have to coordinate.
- Ovulation still has to happen.
- Semen still has to meet the egg at the right time.
- The uterus still has to support early pregnancy.

Melatonin is part of the conversation; it's just not the entire conversation.

- Why this matters for controlled breeding -

Darkness is not magic. It is information.

That is the main point of this article.

- Darkness matters because the body uses it as information.
- Melatonin matters because it helps carry that information.
- Season matters because reproduction is not separate from the environment.
- Light exposure matters because the animal is constantly reading the signals around her, whether we are paying attention to them or not.

Our calendar tells us what day to do something...

But the animal’s body is asking a different question:

What season does this feel like?

That question starts with light.

*And just as importantly, it starts with darkness*

Next in the series:
Article 3 — The Ram and Buck Effect

We will look at how the presence of a male can influence female hormones, behavior, and reproductive activity, and why a ram or buck is more than just a "semen delivery system".

06/01/2026

Breeding on a Calendar - Article 1: The Reproductive System Was Designed Around the Sun

Most people think reproduction starts in the reproductive tract, and I completely understand why.

The uterus, ovaries, ram or buck... the act of breeding.

But in many sheep and goats, the story starts earlier than that.

*It starts with the environment*

More specifically, it starts with light.

- Seasonal does not mean impossible -

Any time I talk about sheep and goats as seasonal breeders, I need to be careful.

Someone will say:

“My goats breed all year.”

Or:

“My sheep breed out of season.”

Or:

“This breed is known for extended breeding.”

And they may be right.

Seasonality is not an on/off switch... You should think of it more like a dimmer.

Some animals are highly seasonal. Some are much less seasonal. Some breeds and bloodlines have been selected to breed throughout more of the year. Some individual animals seem to ignore the calendar better than others.

Goats especially can vary quite a bit. Some will cycle through much more of the year than others.

That does not make seasonality irrelevant. It means we need to understand it correctly.

Out-of-season breeding does not mean the body stops caring about season, light, nutrition, stress, body condition, lactation, heat, health, or hormone signaling.

It means that animals may be more capable of working outside the strongest natural breeding window.

That is a big difference.

"Can" and "Best" are not the same word.

- The animal is still reading the season -

In many sheep and goats, reproductive activity becomes stronger as days get shorter.

In nature, fall breeding helps position lambing and kidding for a more favorable time of year. Babies arrive when weather is improving, forage is returning, and the dam has a better chance of supporting milk production.

Not every breed follows this equally, or reads the calendar the same way.

But... the principle still matters:

- The reproductive system is tied to the environment.
- One of the biggest environmental signals is light.

- The BRAIN is the first reproductive organ people forget about -

- The uterus does not decide when the breeding season starts.
- The o***y does not make that decision alone either.

The BRAIN is involved long before we ever see standing heat.

- Light enters through the eyes.
- That light information helps the body interpret day length.
- As nights get longer, the pattern of melatonin changes.

I often hear melatonin called the “darkness hormone” because it is released during darkness. Longer nights generally mean a longer melatonin signal.

In "short-day seasonal breeders", that longer darkness signal helps tell the body:

"The season is changing. It may be time to prepare for breeding."

*This does not mean melatonin is making babies.*

It means melatonin is part of the message system.

- The animal reads the season through light and darkness.
- The brain turns that information into hormone signals.
- The ovaries respond to those signals.
- Estrus and ovulation are the result.

That is the basic chain.

- The hormone names are just labels for the messages -

Eventually, I will need to use words like GnRH, LH, and FSH.

But... don't let these initials make the concept stress you out. For right now, think of them as messages.

- The brain sends a message.
- The hormone-control center responds.
- The ovaries receive instructions.

Follicles either grow, stall, ovulate, or regress depending on the signals around them.

The simple version looks like this:

Light and darkness → melatonin → brain → hormone-control center → ovaries → estrus and ovulation

The science names matter, but the concept matters first, and we will cover all the fancy names as we roll along through the series.

The body is constantly asking lots of questions:

- What season is it?
- Is there enough nutrition?
- Is she too thin, too fat, stressed, or lactating?
- Is she recovering from a disease or parasites?
- Is the environment supporting reproduction?
- Are the ovaries ready to respond?

You can see where I'm going here.... this is part of the system behind the visible heat cycle.

- Out-of-season breeding is still biology -

If an animal is marketed as an "out-of-season breeder", that does not automatically mean every month is equal.

- It does not mean body condition stops mattering.
- It does not mean heat stress stops mattering.
- It does not mean lactation, disease, minerals, parasite load, or nutrition stop mattering.

It means she may be more likely to maintain reproductive activity when other animals would slow down or shut down.

This is why some people select for it, and this is why it can be a very valuable tool.

But.... the system still has to function.

A doe may be capable of breeding outside the main season and still respond better at certain times of the year.

A ewe may be marketed as "less seasonal" and still have stronger and weaker windows.

An animal may cycle out of season and still have lower conception rates, weaker heats, more variable ovulation timing, or more dependence on management support.

I am NOT arguing against out-of-season breeding (we use this tool on our farm all the time).

It's just an argument for understanding what we are asking the animal to do.

- So really, think of it this way: the o***y is not freelancing -

- It is responding to signals.
- Some signals come from the brain.
- Some come from the pituitary gland.
- Some come from the o***y itself.
- Some come from the animal’s nutritional and metabolic condition.
- Some are influenced by season, light, stress, disease, and management.

That's why two animals can receive the same controlled-breeding protocol and respond very differently.

The protocol may be the same, but the animals underneath it may not be.

- The calendar inside the animal -

Before the calendar/schedule we write on paper, just remember there is already a calendar inside the animal, and in many sheep and goats, that calendar is still paying attention to the sun.

Next in the series:
Article 2 — Why Darkness Matters

We will look more closely at melatonin, the “darkness signal,” and why light exposure can influence breeding season without being magic, a guarantee, or a replacement for good management.