# Breeding without a Ram



## Livlif2itsfulest (Feb 10, 2012)

Hi there I have a potential purchase lined up of 2 registered babydoll ewes but I dont want to own a ram.  Will there will be a chance to find someone to "rent" out there ram?    I know that sounds crazy but believe it or not I had goats and people rented out their bucks all the time.  I just didnt know how it worked for sheep?  Thanks


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## SheepGirl (Feb 10, 2012)

I've never really heard of "ram rentals." Only people I can think of who do it are club lamb breeders...whose rams are WAY too big to use on Babydolls. Ask your breeder if you can breed your ewes to one of their rams.


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## Livlif2itsfulest (Feb 10, 2012)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> I've never really heard of "ram rentals." Only people I can think of who do it are club lamb breeders...whose rams are WAY too big to use on Babydolls. Ask your breeder if you can breed your ewes to one of their rams.


I would but she bought them as pets from a larger breeder so I was going to try to contact them as well; just thought I would check here to see what you all might think )


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## SheepGirl (Feb 10, 2012)

My question would be...why did the first breeder sell them as pets? My next question would be...why is the lady selling these ewes?

Just because a ewe is registered does not mean they will make good breeders/moms nor does it mean that they are healthy, show quality, or they will improve their breed each time they're bred.

Before you put any money down on them, ASK A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS. Especially about their history.


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## Livlif2itsfulest (Feb 10, 2012)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> My question would be...why did the first breeder sell them as pets? My next question would be...why is the lady selling these ewes?
> 
> Just because a ewe is registered does not mean they will make good breeders/moms nor does it mean that they are healthy, show quality, or they will improve their breed each time they're bred.
> 
> Before you put any money down on them, ASK A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS. Especially about their history.


She wanted to breed them but she bought them as sheep for her Pyrenees dogs to train them and keep sheep but after almost a year she doesnt want them anymore and is getting rid of some of her animals to cut down on cost.  I asked her why so sheep and she just needs them gone... she got them from a breeder in the northern part of the state.  She states nothing is wrong with them at all and has sent pictures and offered for me to call my vet to look at them once I get them home and if there is a problem I can bring them back.


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## SheepGirl (Feb 10, 2012)

Okay.

My neighbor and I breed Babydolls and Babydoll/Montadale crosses.

Here is my two cents on what to look for:

*Basic Sheep Health*
- The sheep should be active and they should not want to be off by themselves.
- Sheep should be in good body condition and they should not be limping (never, EVER bring home limping sheep). Make sure their hooves are trimmed; if they aren't ask the lady to show you how to trim them. If she can't, it probably means she hasn't been paying attention to hoof health.
- There should be no crust coming from the eyes, ears, or nose.
- The sheep should be free of external parasites (lice, keds, ticks, etc).
- They should have good mouth conformation (look here for more info)
- Flip the ewes to make sure they have a good udder. There should be two teats, probably a centimeter or two long spaced evenly a part on pink (for white sheep) or blue (for black sheep) skin. They should not have any size to their udder, especially if they aren't bred.

*What to look for in Babydolls*
#1: Stay away from wool blind sheep! Wooly faces are very heritable and they cause the sheep to go blind because the wool grows around their eyes. You will have to shear their faces at least three or four times per year. This becomes very labor intensive, especially if the sheep aren't friendly. If you are looking at freshly shorn sheep with NO wool on them, you can usually tell which ones arent prone to wool-blindness because they will have wool around their eyes that looks like the wool on their nose (short and smooth). Sheep that are wool blind will have wool around their eyes that looks like the wool on their body (has a texture similar to velvet, but not that soft) and it is very dense. I have heard of some breeders trying to deceive buyers by shearing the animals prior to a buyer coming to look at them so they cant see that the animal is wool blind.

This ewe here is wool blind (can you tell that there is not a different texture of wool around her eye? And how it looks like the wool on her body?)






Here she is earlier this month--all the way on the right, with her mom in the middle and maternal half sister (the darker ewe in the background in the above picture) on the left:





This ewe here (though 3/4 Babydoll) is not wool blind; Can you see the shorter, grayer (mousey) wool--almost like hair--around her eyes? It looks the wool on her nose.





Here is the same ewe.





And wool blind sheep are simply ugly when you shear their faces...Babydolls are known for their smiling, teddy bear faces--but if you have to shear them to prevent them from going blind, what's the point?


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## purplequeenvt (Feb 10, 2012)

We rent out our rams all the time. It is mostly to local 4-H kids and people like you who only have a few sheep to breed. I would definitely look into a "Rent-A-Ram".


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## Cornish Heritage (Feb 13, 2012)

I know nothing about Babydoll sheep (they look SO cute though!) so not going to add any comments to that BUT my thoughts on renting a ram would be "Be Careful" that you do not bring any disease onto your farm. 

I know renting out breeding males of all species is a common practice but not one that we do here for bio security purposes. If you do do it, you need to make sure that the ram has been tested for all the various nasties that are out there. 

Liz


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