Selecting New Stock Rams

The rams that are brought into the flock have a significant impact on your flocks EuroStars among other attributes. A few things to bear in mind when selecting a sire:

• Look at your flocks current EuroStars to determine what area of the flocks’ genetics you would like to improve the most (e.g. Replacement, Terminal), and then look for a ram that is strong in this area.
• Be mindful of the DQI of the breeder and the Acc%of the ram. The higher these figures are the more confidence and weight you can place on the EuroStars of that ram.
• Some rams offered for sale this year are already parentage verified with a genomic evaluation (Genotyped). You can buy these animals with confidence that their parentage will not change, their EuroStars are much more robust, and you do not need to genotype the ram yourself when you bring it home. You can now search for genotyped only rams on the RamSearch.ie.
• Breeders should run an inbreeding checker report from their online account with any potential new sires to ensure the mating will not result in a high level of inbreeding.

Selecting Replacement Females and Cull ewes

Some breeders are unaware that they can also use the EuroStars as a tool when selecting replacement females (High Index) and cull ewes (Low index). While the Rams make up half the flock, the ewe lambs that get retained, and the ewes that get culled also play a role. Increase your rate of genetic gain and help you make the most of the data you recorded over the previous year by using the EuroStars as a tool when making selection decisions