# Ram Stud Service



## goto10 (Oct 5, 2009)

So I have one katahdin ewe and I've been looking around for a stud so I don't have to keep my own ram, because my space is limited. I found a couple people with wooly breeds who offered service for $40 to $50. That's with me bringing the ewe to them and leaving her there for 2 cycles. These people are just backyard breeders who have a ram and a mixed flock. 

Okay then I came up with the idea that I would like to use a katahdin ram, in case I wanted to keep a ewe lamb from the mating. I found someone who would offer stud service keeping my ewe for 6 weeks but the cost of the service is $200! Incidentally this is also the cost of one of their rams if I wanted to buy it. Having a ram would also cut down on the stress my ewe will go through with reacclimating to another property then coming back to mine. 

Does this seem like an exorbitantly high fee? I think so. Their rams aren't registered but they seem like very good shepherds. 

I'm wondering if I should just buy the ram and see how long I can keep it with the space I have, before he gets too rammy. Considering the cost of buying one, I doubt I'd be willing to butcher it after my ewe is bred. 

Opinions?


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

yes $200 is alot of money. I bought my extremely hansome unregistered Kat ram for $175. If I HAD to I would buy a young ram then butcher it. Right now I have a ram, but dont plan to butcher it becuase I have more then one ewe. keep in mind that you will have to watch your back when you are in the pen with him. I had to buy a red hotshot prod for my ram because during this rut he descided to challange me. One light head butt to the leg was enough for me. Now I lure him in a pen to work with the other animals and carry the big stick


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## goto10 (Oct 5, 2009)

lasergrl said:


> yes $200 is alot of money. I bought my extremely hansome unregistered Kat ram for $175. If I HAD to I would buy a young ram then butcher it. Right now I have a ram, but dont plan to butcher it becuase I have more then one ewe. keep in mind that you will have to watch your back when you are in the pen with him. I had to buy a red hotshot prod for my ram because during this rut he descided to challange me. One light head butt to the leg was enough for me. Now I lure him in a pen to work with the other animals and carry the big stick


None of that sounds promising. Overpay someone if I want purebred lambs, or buy a ram that might injure me or my other livestock or have it butchered for some really expensive cuts of meat. Boy, I really wish I had more space to have a proper flock!


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## farmmaid (Jan 13, 2003)

Where in Pa do you live? I have a nice black and white Katadhin ram lamb for $150. I live 20 miles east of Binghamton,NY.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

It does seem like a high amount, but not as much as it would cost the shepherd if he had to treat or dispose of the whole flock for something your ewe might have brought in. At the very least he will have to quarantine your ewe while she is there, there is still a risk to his flock. Here is just one possible disease. 
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM829X9.pdf

You could buy a ram and sell him when you are done with him.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Does this seem like an exorbitantly high fee?


Not if you want purebred lambs.
You get the quality you pay for most of the time.

That price includes feeding your sheep for a couple of months


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## StockDogLovr (Apr 13, 2009)

I bought a Kat ram from a hobby flock when the owner was relocating and selling off her flock. He was about a year old, not registered, and she accepted $100. He is not a handsome specimen.

Then, I traded my Kat ram for another one that was registered. The owner was trying to sell him for $300! But, he was much bigger, gorgeous, and he made really nice babies for me, albeit crossbred with my Barb ewes. When we swapped, I gave the guy a mixed breed ewe and a ram lamb (which he subsequently butchered). Recently we swapped back because his ram was a pain in the [email protected]@! Challenging me constantly! I was happy to get my very respectful boy back. But, we have agreed to swap again when we want to cross out again.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

as has been mentioned, the ram owner is running the risk of exposing his herd to an outside ewe and feeding her.

I personaly have not seen anyone in this area who was open to offering their ram at stud..unless they knew you and your herd personally.


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## goto10 (Oct 5, 2009)

spinandslide said:


> as has been mentioned, the ram owner is running the risk of exposing his herd to an outside ewe and feeding her.
> 
> I personaly have not seen anyone in this area who was open to offering their ram at stud..unless they knew you and your herd personally.


I know people keep mentioning that they will feed my ewe but these people don't feed their sheep. The sheep are strictly pasture raised. Last I checked grass was free and adding one ewe to one of their paddocks isn't really going to affect their stocking rate all that much. I have to flush her before she goes over so they don't have to worry about that. 

When it comes to diseases, I know that people don't want their flock contaminated. It's a really bad thing. Yet my one sheep is in a scrapie program and is vaccinated against CL while theirs are not. I can take much better care of one sheep than someone can take care of a flock. 

They will put my sheep alone on a pasture with one of the 15 yearling rams they are trying to sell. They've covered all their bases. I'm just not seeing where the expense is coming from. I've already told them that I may just buy one of their rams and if that was their plan all along then I'm pretty much
a sucker. I'm also not sure why their rams are pricier than their ewes. Usually people are trying to get rid of rams. These people are essentially in the suburbs though so I guess prices would naturally be higher.


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## sde219 (May 19, 2010)

I hear what you are saying but there are a lot of factors at play for someone taking responsibility for your sheep - disease being a huge one. Many people (myself included) want a closed flock for piece of mind - temporarily hosting some random person's sheep costs a lot of that piece of mind. While $200 for the individual service sounds high for a single ram - it's a fraction of what disease transmission might cost them and might make portions of a pasture unusable for a period of time. Honestly I think I'd ask for that much to use our Cotswald or Churro rams. But I probably would charge the same for 1 ewe or 5 - since it's not about food or space but risk.

It sounds like space and ram behavior are your biggest concerns. I would have suggested buying the ram lamb at weaning then because not all rams are created equal and honestly I think handling effects behavior. I'm not sure what other livestock you are worried about the ram with but most concerns are mitigated through proper handling. I think aggression is very easily to identify and you'll have at bare minimum 15 ram lambs to scan and select from - or look to buy from a different breeder. As you point out about the breeder - it's one sheep and that's how I would view getting a ram in terms of space and upkeep. I'm amazed you have a single ewe without problems - generally sheep kept singularly seem to have some issues. 

Just out of interest - if space is a concern why are you breeding? What do you intend to do with the offspring? If they would be food - I would suggest doing the breed/slaughter move with the ram and making sure you like the taste of katahdin meat and that would be an effective use of your money and time.

I agree it's probably more cost effective to buy and slaughter the ram and maybe that's what they want - you could offer to rent the ram and allow them to sell it and replace with another if that happens or get an agreed upon buy back price for returning the ram. Remember - you could also sell the ram for meat or otherwise.

Rams can be pricey typically because only the best ones or projected best ones are not neutered. High value breeds or bloodlines also drive the price of a ram up. With rare or heritage or limited-distribution breeds, you pay what the market bears or you change plans. If you want registered, purebred offspring sounds like you've got a limit number of breeders to work with. I'd check around some more with other breeders in case.

I wouldn't expect to get a bargain for "stud fee" or you might get more than you bargained for. It's just as likely that your ewe returns with health issues if you take it to an farm that isn't doing anything to prevent the spread and transmission of diseases.

Hope this is helpful - not being judgmental, just offering input.


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

Another thing to consider $200 is a lot to pay for a craps shoot. I'm willing to bet that $200 would get you a very nice bred ewe lamb.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

goto, just presenting some factors on WHY these people are asking $200.

That is the joy of our country..people can charge what they'd like for what they have..comes down to if you are willing to pay it or not. I take the route of..perhaps these people dont do this very often, perhaps arent terriably keen to do it, so they are going to make it "worth their time".

It is apain to have to buy a ram for one ewe, but consider the convience. I have three ewes and will get my own ram...simply for the ease.

Male animal aggression, IMO, is curbed with consistent handling and not letting them get away with anything..I think if a person understands this and respects the ram in that aspect, they can get along splendidly.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Last I checked *grass was free*


Evidently you've never bought grass seed to plant pastures.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Evidently you've never bought grass seed to plant pastures.


Or paid taxes on the pasture, spent hours and money on weed control, put in fences, had a visiting ewe get hurt or die unexpectedly (think about that one long and hard), or ....

We have several registerable Katahdin ram lambs who will probably be going to market, if you're interested. The best ones have already been sold to breeding homes with full papers. I would sell one to you at current market price based on his weight at the time, no papers at that price though. You would have to pick him up or arrange shipping from our farm, plus the interstate health certificate. Cash only of course.

I was going to suggest you get a bred ewe instead of a ram earlier but kept out of it. It is hard for someone with a small number of ewes.

Peg


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## goto10 (Oct 5, 2009)

sde219, just to answer a few of your questions about my situation. I have an acre of property. I also have nigerian dwarf goats. They have a shelter which is surrounded by a big pen. The shelter/pen are divded down the middle so my does and bucks are separated. It's not huge but it's more than enough for the goats that I have and I am very concientous about how many animals I have and will have due to kidding/lambing so numbers don't get out of control. 

So when I wanted to buy a sheep, I only bought one because they are much larger than my goats and take up more space and also I just didn't want ot get into that, oh just one more won't hurt and end up with way to many animals so I started with one and only because I have the goats to keep her company which works well for her. Space is an issue but I 've already alotted for another ewe lamb or two if I want to keep them. 

And having this sheep just makes me want more because it amazes me how an animal can get fat on grass or hay. Something I know i couldn't get fat on. I think that makes for a very efficient source of meat and/or milk. And the reason I wanted a sheep is for milk, the reason I got a katahdin is because they are smaller, hardier and easier to obtain than the dairy breeds of sheep. They also don't need to be sured and some are apparently pretty milky if they can feed twins or triplets with out help(or so people say) 

I enjoy the taste of lamb very much. The stronger the flavor the better and anything less than that is fine with me so what to do with a butchered lamb of any breed is not a problem with me. 

Shouple, you're right and I have considered maybe still bringing my ewe down but maybe also asking to buy one of their ewes for a discount and have it bred. 

Bearfoot farm and PNP Katahdins, I knew someone had to make a smart comment about the grass being free and I'm not surprised it was you guys. These people have lived in their home for 3 years. The pasture was already in place. I am not going to pay someone's mortgage because they are allowing me to use their ram. High prices don't always mean quality and low prices don't always mean the opposite. Some people just value their time a lot more than others and while I do think they care for their animals well, from my conversations with them, they spend a little too much time and money on them. I can't be the one to cover their losses because they run an inefficient operation. They've had their yearlings for sale since the end of August, it appears none have sold and I think this is because their prices are to high for the market they are in.

Now some other people are mentioning how rams aren't all that bad. I am going back and forth now on what to do. The rams these people have were very friendly. They said this is the first year they have decided to sell for pets or breeding rather than just meat because some of their sheep have been so nice wanted to give them a chance before they go to slaughter. Still I don't think $200 for an unregistered ram is giving them a chance. Also I have read that it's no good to have a friendly ram because they will be more likely to challenge, you seeing you as an equal/something to dominate. 

The more I think, the more thinking I have to do!


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## farmmaid (Jan 13, 2003)

..............and how long have you had your one ewe? Yes, $200 to breed your ewe is too much...........$200 for an unregestered nice ram lamb, not at all too much. You get what you pay for, animals are expensive if you do it right. You may need to rethink having sheep....................


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

my ram was pet alot at previous farm. He is too good of an animal to slaughter because of past mistakes. I will say the hotshot was a good investment for me  I should have gotten the stronger one as he seems to think of it as a simple nuisance but he hasnt given me the wild stink eye since I started carrying it.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

goto10 said:


> Bearfoot farm and PNP Katahdins, I knew someone had to make a smart comment about the grass being free and I'm not surprised it was you guys.


 :bow: Thanks for the compliment. By the way, we got burned once on your kind of deal, meaning trying to help a friend out. The ewe died shortly after she arrived at our place so obviously our fault, of course. Never again.

I am glad you are happy with your Katahdin and want more. 

Peg


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## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

goto10 said:


> They said this is the first year they have decided to sell for pets or breeding rather than just meat because some of their sheep have been so nice wanted to give them a chance before they go to slaughter. Still I don't think $200 for an unregistered ram is giving them a chance.


From the ASI Weekly newsleter:

Feeder Prices, San Angelo 40-60 lbs. for 140-146 $/cwt.; 60-105 lbs. for 144-155 $/cwt.
Slaughter Prices - Negotiated, Live, wooled and shorn 115-160 lbs. for 117.38-153.86 $/cwt., dressed, no sales reported. 

So they are not asking much of a premium over feeder/slaughter prices. I would hope that he would be at or over 100 lbs at this point. So $117-155 per would be meat prices (cwt = hundred weight), so they want $50 more to sell as a breeding ram. Not too bad when you look at it that way.

I did loan out a ram lamb last year, and he came back a total pain in the backside. I helped out a friend and I don't regret it, but I've thought more than once about butchering that ram. 

Instead of growing your own, you may want to look into just buying lambs in the spring. A lot less hassle for you. Nothing to worry about with your ewe (prolapse, ketosis, milk fever, too fat/thin, malpresentation, abortion). And if you are not too picky, you can probably pickup a couple of feeder lambs in the spring for what you would pay for that ram.


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