FLOCK-BUILDING.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 232, 12 April 1928, Page 6

FLOCK-BUILDING.

CHOICE OF A RAM. An Ideal Animal. It is not too much to claim for the ram that he is 75 per cent, of the flock when one takes into consideration the crop of lambs that he will sire, and upon which (if he is prepotent) he wiJ stamp his character and Therefore, the purchase of the ram should not be undertaken in the spirit *>f * 1 anything will do so long as he gets lambs. ” .

That is (writes ‘ ‘Flockmaster” in The Farmer and Stockbreeder) a fatal policy to adopt, and .one that can only lead to great disappointment and the failure of the flock to improveIs he to be a ram used chiefly for breeding show sheep, to get rams or ram lambs, or merely as a ‘ ‘ commercial sheep” for the begetting of the ordinary type of commercial flockmaster’s rent paving ewes, or to cater for the fat lamb" trade? If show sheep or ram breeding is the object aimed at the fiOckmaster will purchase a twoshear or shearling ram, for then he knows with some degree of certainty what his sheep looks like when grown up, and if he is a two-shear he will have been used, and thus an opportunity is afforded to see the lambs that he has sired. Ram Lambs for Crossing. For crossing or for the fat lamb trade most flockmasters are in agreement that there is nothing to equal a ram lamb, for he will transmit his early maturing qualities to his progeny, and when mated with old ewes liis natural vigour will make up for any loss of that quality that they may have sus tained.

In purchasing a ram lamb for tlies<3 purposes, the buyer will do well to beat in mind the type of his own ewes, whether they stand very high from the ground, in which case a very shortlegged ram lamb may have difficulty in serving them, or whether their conformation is such as to warrant a purchase being made. - Fat ram lambs should be avoided, especially those short-legged ram lambs that carry too much condition, for their very make, coupled with the extra- fat, will make it impossible for them to serve big ewes- Too much daylight beneath a ram lamb is also a fault to be avoided, lor if at any early age he shown this fault, what will he be like as a shearling? We do not require length of leg in our sheep; that means too much bene and great waste when tiie butcher has done his work. The ideal sire of fat lambs is a square, bloeky lamb, deep of flesh, without carrying too much meat, with his legs well set at each corner, and with a good back and dock. Such a lamb rarely fails to give satisfaction in the lambs he sires. Choosing a Shearling.

A shearling should possess good masculine character and breed type, with a bold head and good scrag that Alls the hand, for no ram that is “ewe necked” will get lambs that are of much use in a flock. He should have a deep, well-ribbed body, with a good loin and back, and his dock should be well set and handle well. The wool naturally depends upon the bleed. In the Down breeds it must be close and dense, wirti good quality, and a bright pink, healthy skin. In long wools it should possess sufficient length and good staple w.th lustre and curlLegs of mutton, in any breed, should be well-filled with a well-turned twist, and the back should be firm and level under the ha Ad. Width betwee -i tin- ears is also a good point, for it invariably means a wide, straight, well-developed back. The shoulders should be well set, and not coarse and outstanding from the body. Most flock-masters like to see depth m the chest and through the heart, for this generally means a good constitution, while no ram will be of any use to serve ewes unless he can move gaily on his legs. To satisfy the most exacting home buyers, and certainly all purchasers from overseas, a ram must move well. If he cannot do so, he will not be able to serve his ewes without exhaustion, and consequent disappointment, for many will never go to ram, or will turn on their service, than which there are few things more likely to upset the general arrangements in the flock.