History of the Sheep

Domestic sheep were once wild Mouflon.

Sheep were domesticated 10,000 years ago in Central Asia for their use as pack animals, as well as for their hides and milk. It wasn't until the last 200 years that they were being bred for their meat. The domestic sheep arrived in North America in 1493 with Christopher Columbus. As more settlers arrived, so did more sheep. In the United States, there are more than 83,000 farms raising more than 5.8 million sheep of more than 50 different pure breeds (and crosses). Over 900 breeds of sheep have been developed throughout the world.

Ram Selection

I have been breeding sheep since 2006. I am here to offer you some tips when buying rams! (These tips work well for selecting ewes for breeding, too.) Note: Rams should never be kept as pets (even friendly and tame ones). Please forgo them when searching for a "pet" sheep.

Warning: This is going to be a long post! :-)

1. Find your purpose and find your breed.

First ask yourself, "Why do I want to breed my sheep?" Some answers may include to produce meat lambs, replacement ewes, produce "pet" sheep, or breeding just to breed for no particular reason. What you're breeding for will have a profound impact on which ram (and breed) you choose.

At the bare minimum, make sure he is healthy. You do not want to purchase problems when you purchase the ram. An unhealthy sheep will not have healthy (normal) vital signs. His temperature should be about 102.3°F (easy to remember because it's 1-2-3 with a 0 between the 1 and 2), his pulse should be 60-90 beats per minute, and he should have 12-20 breaths per minute.

Producing Meat Lambs

Suffolk Ram

You want to put an emphasize on terminal (carcass) characteristics, as well as growth characteristics. Some traits to look for include: lamb survival, post weaning growth, feed efficiency, dressing percentage, percent retail trimmed cuts, and scrapie resistance. If the ram is a blackfaced breed (Suffolk, Hampshire, etc), make sure he is not a carrier of the Spider gene.

Obviously you cannot get the carcass traits (dressing percentage, percent retail trimmed cuts, etc) from a ram you plan on breeding to, so check out his siblings (full and half) and offspring if he has any for their data (if they were slaughtered).

Good breeds for meat production: Suffolk, Hampshire, Southdown, hair breeds, Cheviot.

Producing Replacement Ewes

Dorset Ram

Because you will be breeding to add ewes to your flock, you want a ram that is exceptional in maternal traits: fertility, prolificacy, milking ability, maternal instincts, and longevity. These are the traits he will impress upon your ewe flock, and these are also the traits that deem if you are going to be profitable: if your sheep aren't fertile, how are you supposed to sell lambs? If your sheep have a low lambing rate, how are you supposed to make much money selling few lambs? If your ewes don't milk well, how is she supposed to feed multiples? The list goes on.

Choose a ram that comes from a strong maternal ewe line. Usually a breeder will only keep the top 10% to 20% of his lamb crop for breeding rams, so you can be assured that the ram you choose from any particular flock is superior. If a breeder sells any ram as a "breeding ram," buyer beware: they may not practice good selection practices to ensure that only top quality rams are sold as rams. (The same goes with ewes: the bottom 10% to 50% of the ewe lamb crop should probably be sent to a terminal market.)

Good breeds for replacement ewe production: finewool breeds, hair breeds, Finnsheep, Dorset, Romanov.

Producing Pet Sheep

Babydoll Southdowns

Usually the number one requirement for "pet" sheep is personality. I love sheep but I wouldn't necessarily say they have defined personalities. Yes, some may be friendlier than others, some may be more bossy than others, and some may be more stubborn than others. However, the differences are usually very subtle until you start working with them (shearing, feeding, etc).

It is usually very difficult to tell the temperament of a ram because most rams are aggressive (and should not be trusted under any circumstance). You should look for naturally friendly rams as well as brave rams. Will they readily walk up to a stranger? He may pass that trait onto his offspring, which will make them more valued as pets. Try checking out the temperament of his dam and any offspring or siblings he may have.

Good breeds for pets: Any will work, you just need to work with them. A sheep will not turn friendly overnight. However, the "miniature" (smaller) breeds would do fine: Babydoll Southdown, Shetland, Icelandic, etc.

2. Make sure your ram is breedable.

Make sure your ram has testicles!

It doesn't matter how many ewes you have: get a breeding soundness examination (BSE) done through your veterinarian. It will include a physical examination (body condition score and a genitalia exam), scrotal circumference measurement, and a semen examination.

Also, when buying a ram, make sure he has testicles! I have heard of one too many ram buyers buy "rams" who--lo and behold--have either one or no testicles. Cryptorchids (missing one or both testes) are duds and should not be used for breeding as the reason they are cryporchids could be genetic.