Breeding Tools for Better Livestock Management

Breeding season at Premier always adds some extra color to our pastures. Marking aids are an excellent management tool to streamline your breeding and lambing seasons.

September 2016 — Sheep & Goat Edition

A better lambing season begins with…
Breeding Tools

As breeding season approaches for most flocks across the country, making plans for this important season are often overlooked. Knowledge of what happens during the breeding season is critical for making decisions such as:

Premier offers a wide range of breeding supplies to assist flocks large and small. Many shepherds use marking harnesses on their breeding rams to aid in record-keeping and to ensure maximum profitability.

Why mark at breeding?
Marking aids allow for quick identification. With a glance, a shepherd can determine:

Which ewes/does have been bred.
Birthing date (~145 days after breeding). Know the last day to have supplies ready.
Newborn’s sire. (Track sires that offer the most profit.)
Identify poor performing or inactive males.

New! A livestock marking crayon for all seasons!

No more “Hot, Mild or Cold” decisions.

We weren’t satisfied with our harness marking crayons. So we located crayons from several sources and tested all of them under 3 temperature conditions: frozen, room temp and hot (100°). Temperature-specific crayons were tested at their respective ratings.

One crayon marked well in all temperatures and in all colors. That’s the crayon we now offer.

The test? We attached crayons to a harness and pulled it across a carpet. A weight was placed on the harness to simulate ram pressure.

Results? Our new all-temperature crayons:

Made an even, strong mark under all temperatures.
Didn’t smear (leave excess crayon). Excess crayon reduces the probability of removing the mark in the scouring process (and is wasteful).

Premier’s all-temperature marking crayons are available in 6 colors and work well with our Deluxe Marking Harness, Nylon Breeding Harness or Cross Your Heart Leather Breeding Harness.

Marking Harnesses

Proper placement for the crayon holder is between the rams/bucks forelegs, not up on the animal’s neck. This ensures that the ewe is marked when she is bred, not before.

Use a marking harness to securely hold a crayon between a ram/bucks forelegs at the bottom of his brisket. The crayon will mark the female when the male mounts. Crayons are easily changed (via cotter pin) throughout the breeding season and during breeding cycles.

Deluxe Marking Harness
Designed to reduce risk of chafing skin between legs. Built to handle even the largest ram.

Cross Your Heart Breeding Harness
Specifically designed to fit and stay on smaller, more pointed briskets like those found on ram lambs, goat bucks and adult rams of smaller breeds.

Nylon Breeding Harness
For mature rams of medium and large breeds with broad briskets. More likely to stay on if the ram’s brisket has 2 months’ wool growth.

Harness	Strap		Buckle		Shoulder Strap	Girth Strap	O Ring		Brisket Padding
Harness	Width	Thickness	Width	Thickness	Length	Length	Width	Thickness	Thickness
Deluxe	2"	.05"-.2"	2.40"	.57"	36"	56"	.30"	2.8"	.30"
Nylon	1"	.10"	1.26"	.48"	38"	61"	.23"	2.0"	.17"
Cross Your Heart	1"	.10"	1.25"	.50"	36"	62"	.33"	2.3"	.22"

Raddle Powder
Raddle powder eliminates the need for a marking harness. Produces bright, long-lasting marks—but it’s more mess than a harness. It is difficult to remove all of the raddle from the animal’s chest in order to change colors mid-season. If you plan to switch, choose contrasting colors.

How to use:

Mix 2 parts powder to 1 part vegetable oil or 1.5 parts mineral oil. Mixes easily.
Rub paste, using OB gloves, onto the brisket (2 months’ growth of wool on the brisket helps hold the paste).
You will need to apply fresh raddle every 2 to 5 days (goats and hair sheep will need more frequent applications).


Wool growth of 2-3 months helps better hold raddle to the brisket.	Raddle does work with hair, but not as well as wool. Boer goat shown with Premier’s Ram Bell.

Supplemental Breeding Tools

Sheep Management Wheel

Provides a detailed schedule based on your lambing date. By Pipestone Sheep School.

Ram Ejaculator

A smooth probe that is inserted in the rectum of the ram. Enables checking rams for sperm quality.

CIDR Inserts for Sheep

For induction of estrus in ewes (sheep) during seasonal anestrus.

Lambing and Kidding Aids

LAC-TEK Machine
for Lambs & Kids

The LAC-TEK is an automatic dispenser designed to provide a constant, uniform and easily accessible supply of milk replacer or formula for lambs and goat kids.

Milk Replacer for Lambs

Provides the entire nutritional requirements for the lamb from its second day of life through weaning.

Milk Replacer for Goat Kids

Fully formulated complete feed for goat kids. Contains added copper for goats. DO NOT FEED TO LAMBS!

Come see us at the Mother Earth News Fair!

September 23-25 — Seven Springs, PA

October 22-23 — Topeka, KS

Profitable Farm Systems with Daniel Salatin

October 22 — Local Cooling Farms, Bogalusa, LA

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800-282-6631
Local: 319-653-7622
Fax: 800-346-7992 or 319-653-6304

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Monday - Friday: 7 am - 5:30 pm CT
(January - December)

Saturday: 8am - 12 noon CT (March - September) and Closed (October - February)

Sunday: Closed

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