Joining maiden ewes at an early age enables good managers to exploit potential advantages in sheep breeding and selection programs in merinos through reduction of the generation interval.

It also offers an alternative action to quickly recover flock numbers following drought. The age at which a ewe will join successfully for the first time is determined chiefly by liveweight and condition.

This Agfact contains information about factoras that should be considered at the first joining and the management of ewes at this time.