# Ram renting.....and breeding ewe lambs



## theawesomefowl (Sep 21, 2011)

My ewes are only about seven months old (I am worrying about this in advance), and still kind of small, (maybe 80-90 pounds) but I am planning on breeding them at about nine or ten months to a Katahdin ram. I've found a nicefarm  which has a young ram I can rent for a few weeks. Does anyone have any extra tips on checking him out when I go to see him?  I am aware I should check his "plumbing"  , but I also want to make sure he is a twin or triplet, and meaty, since afterall I am breeding towards a healthy meat flock!

Also, anyone else breed their ewes that young? Any tips?  I'm going to "flush" them for breeding with sheep concentrate. Should I have a fecal test done as well? Vaccinations? I haven't wormed them since late May, when I noticed tapeworms in the sheep poop.   And they are healthy; they would score a 2.5-3 on the sheep scoring chart, I think, and their mothers both had twins in their first lambing. (They had exceptional management at the farm I got the girls from; the sheep all looked very healthy, and a bit spoiled)  

I really want to plan this in advance so I can get them bred in Nov. or Dec. for an April or May lambing.


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 21, 2011)

It sounds like you've already got the idea!  When you ask about if he was a single, twin, or triplet ask it so that you're not influencing the answer.  If he's registered, ask to see his papers because it'll say on there what he was.  Looks like that farm has the same goals as you do, so they should be a good match for you.  Your ewes should be plenty big enough by 9/10 mos old.  Good luck!    And see if you can use the ram for at least 2 breeding cycles, so that would be keeping him a minimum of 34 days, but I'd try to keep him at least 3 cycles 55-60 days if possible. That way if your ewes dont' settle on the first cycle he'll have another chance.


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## theawesomefowl (Sep 21, 2011)

Thank you!
Sounds good! I have a choice of a registered ram or not. I may do the registered since it is the same price, $100, I think. They are young rams though, which is good for me as we don't have a pick-up and will have to bring him home in the family minivan.


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 21, 2011)

Hey, I just brought my stinky buck home from his other farm (I own him, she keeps him) and it was an hour and a half ride, and he was in the back of my Explorer!  A ram in a minivan is NO problem!!  Just put down a tarp and some straw, and a moving blanket is great under the straw to soak up any urine.  

Are your ewes registered? If so, I'd definitely go with a registered one.  If your ewes aren't registered (or aren't able to be registered), it doesn't matter either way and if you would save money using a cheaper non-registered ram, I'd go that route.  But, if they're the same price it won't matter either way!


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