Ram stud service prices

[WildTurkey]

Hi all, my neighbor would like to have her 2 ewes impregnated by our ram ... I am fine with this, I did this with a billy of mine as well in a so called driveway service, and I asked only $50 for that ...

What would you guys recommend? I am leaning towards having the ewes over in an enclosed coral with my ram for a month to ensure 2 heat cycles, but that is added hay costs too when we just entered rainy season again in WA and grass is scarce on pasture ... so I guess my question is what would be a reasonable price per ewe?

My ram is a full breed Katadihn boy and the neighbors girls are full bred katadihns as well straight from the breeder 2 years ago.

Thanks so much

 

[Baymule]

Hi! I’m a Katahdin breeder. I’ve never studded out a ram. The reason is because of transferable sickness and disease. But if you feel comfortable with it, then go ahead.

Two months might be better. If one or both ewes just cycled, then one month would only catch 1 cycle. Or if you see the ram breed them, there will be sometimes a day of paying a lot of attention to the ewe, then next day or night, breeding takes place. If you don’t actually see it, then you can’t be sure.

I would ask that their feed and hay be provided, keep it separate from yours. $50 breeding fee, each ewe, and $50 per month boarding fee for both ewes. That is a very reasonable price, downright cheap. But if you keep them 2 months, that’s $200 to you and they could go buy a young ram for that, then have him slaughtered.

 

[WildTurkey]

Thanks Baymule, thanks for the response I really appreciate that...
I am not a breeder just a homesteader, and thus far our ram has been a really good provider already for my own little herd on the homestead.

I am keeping the ewes separate from my own herd, and indeed they are helping out in costs for hay.

Is there a specific transferable disease that you have in mind?

Honestly I am not too afraid for the situation we are in, if we would be a breeder and depending on the income from it, it most likely would be a different scenario.

2 months would possibly be better, but I am not ready to take on that much responsibility, since I have a lot going on on my own homestead already

I realize it is a cheap deal for them, and am totally okay with that, I don't have to get rich, just trying to help a neighbor building a successful herd themselves, that already lost 2 grown ewes to a mountain lion these past 2 years.

 

[Baymule]

Do you have a young ram that you could sell to them? That might work better for them. Use him to breed the ewes, then have him processed.

 

[Baymule]

I forgot to point out that ram lambs can be fertile at 3 months old! So your friend could buy a ram lamb from you, use him at 4 months old, keep him until 6 months old, to give him plenty of time with the ewes, then take him to slaughter or do it themselves. Then since the cross would be terminal, they could keep one of their own ram lambs to breed back to their ewes. Then the following year, buy another ram lamb from you and rinse-repeat.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

Is there a specific transferable disease that you have in mind?

Speaking from our experience in bringing a new animal onto our farm, we got drug resistant parasites (worms).
I would consider internal or external parasites to be a small thing you could expose your farm to. Even something like hoof rot is contagious.
Do you have a solid book like Storeys guide to raising sheep? They have a section on illness and disease that you could peruse. I find it's helpful to have a physical copy of info on hand. I forget where I read stuff on the internet
I'm not trying to scare you and say you shouldn't do it, but want you to be aware.
At this point I'm virtually keeping a closed herd. We've had a couple of scares with CL and it was way too stressful.
Good luck!

 

[Ridgetop]

Parasites, abscesses, soremouth, etc. are all diseases that can be transferred in sheep.

I do not offer stud service anymore. Used to do it for the 4-H kids that bought their does from us. But after a bad experience of loaning out a nice buck that returned with a disease, we stopped completely. I do not take anything I sold back on my property, nor do I offer stud service.

Also if your ram is registered and his ewes are registered is he expecting you to sign the paperwork to register any lambs? If you are going to sign the stud service paperwork on his lambs, then your stud fee is too low.

 

[Finnie]

Can’t sheep also carry Brucellosis?