Buying a stap ram

Green farmer

Getting ready to buy a star rated ram for the stap scheme this year, of a maternal breed. Will go to a society sales date to hopefully pick up something decent quality. Thing is he'll most probably be a ram lamb as opposed to a hogget. Do ye think ram lambs are up to doing the business this year for me, or will they be a bit young and will it leave until next year until the ram comes into his own ?

razor8

How many would you intend letting him out with? Alot would depend how well fed he is IMO

Cran

You might be limited on maternal breeds for STAP, especially hoggets as limited number of maternal breeds were in lambplus last year with the exception of Belclares. I struggled to get a Lleyn I wanted with figures last year, went with an unrecorded after. I'd think Belclare probably best going for Lambs as see very few hoggets at their sales.

Green farmer

Ya, it's a nice belclare I'm after. Hoping to put him to my 30 best ewes. I'm in the process of growing the flock and it's hard to expand and at the same time increase the quality of ewes

sako 85

I think a good strong Ram Lamb would manage 30 ewes.

working kelpie ireland

Just be careful of buying the biggest strongest ram lamb as intensive feeding can make them infertile so a test is only €30 to be sure of your ram the like of belcare could run with up to 45 ewe's very fruitful breed

Green farmer

I was going to buy at one of the society mart sales dates. I don't know whether they'd be tested or not beforehand. I can only hope that if I had an infertile ram the breeder would stand over him ???
I like medium sized rams as well. What type of lambing would the biggest ram leave me with !

working kelpie ireland

Like your self I am only setting up I have some bleu de maine x ewe's very milky great feet also some beltex x sheep I am using a bleu de maine ram which was proved infertile this year but going to buy some belcares of one of the men I lamb for he cules at 4yr old so i will get a good few seasons out of them and going to buy a beltex ram to put on the bigger longer ewe so I should get some great youngsters coming through

sheeper

The breeder should definitely be standing over the ram if he proves wrong !