Wethering

[equinecpa]

I raise painted desert sheep which aren't usually wethered since one of the attractions to the breed is large horns. I myself really believe that only exceptional animals should be kept as rams. That said how do you judge what lambs should be wethered and which should not?

I'm too new to sheep to think that at a week old I can judge what a ram lamb will end up looking like...so what DO YOU look for?

I have one now that is about 4 months old that I think should be wethered-too late to band? He's prob about 35#'s.

[bergere]

Personally, good temperament first and foremost... I want to be around them with out having to carry a big stick.
Anything that was even slightly aggressive in my flock was eaten.

Then, a nice balance build for the breed, for those with fleece, a good quality fleece.

But at that young, it can be hard to tell, even for the folks that have been raising sheep for awhile.

If you have a bander big enough and there are not a lot of flies out yet, you could band them at 4 months.

[Ross]

This where indexing your flock so you can predict and promote the traits you want will help. Good records will improve your ram selection

[Callieslamb]

Besides looking for the bad points, I try to look at each ram for what he might have to add to a flock. I look to see how well a ram grows, how quick he is on his feet. How well 'endowed' he is. I even look at head shape. Only some rams (or ewes) will be registered since they will represent my flock elsewhere.

How wide his his chest? How straight are his legs? Does he have strong legs and feet?
Body length is important to me since my finns produce multiple births. They need body capacity to do it well. I don't keep a short-bodied ram or ewe. I don't keep the slowest growing one. Being a fleece breed, I also look for a fleece that is even over the body. I like a curious animal. If I'm keeping a ram, I sift through all of this to pick the best one.