Ram breeding soundness examination

Ram breeding soundness examinations can be utilised by sheep practitioners to provide useful information to sheep farmers, helping maximise reproductive performance of sheep flocks. It is estimated that between 3.5–10% of rams in the UK are unsound, thus supporting the validity of breeding soundness examinations both pre-sale (or purchase) and pre-breeding. Routine ram soundness examinations are straightforward and can be done at relatively little cost to the farmer. In this article the types of breeding soundness examination available, a practical approach to the examination and classification of findings are discussed.