Ram selection principles

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There are a number of undesirable feet and leg characteristics that animals can exhibit. As you evaluate animals, you should be aware of these issues:

Pigeon toed: An animal is pigeon toed or toed-in if when viewed from the front, the toes turn towards each other rather than pointing straight forward.

Bowlegged: An animal is bowlegged if when viewed from the front, the knees curve out away from each other or if viewed from the rear, the hocks curve out away from each other.

Splayfooted or toed-out: An animal is splayfooted or toed-out if when viewed from the front, the toes turn out away from each other rather than pointing straight forward.

Knock-kneed: An animal is knock-kneed if when viewed from the front, the knees lean toward each other and are not in a straight line with the legs.

Cow hocked: An animal is cow hocked if when viewing the hind legs from the rear, the hocks, which are the hind leg joints, are turned inward or are placed too close together. This causes the toes to turn outward.

Sickle hocked: An animal is sickle hocked if when viewing the rear legs from the side, the hock has too much angle or set. A line dropped perpendicular from the pin bones to the ground should lie parallel to the cannon bone. A sickle hocked cow has hocks that angle too much, which causes the animal’s feet to stand too far underneath their body. Often these animals will droop excessively from hooks to pins.

Post legged: An animal is post legged if the hock has too little angle or set. The animal is too straight through the joint, which results in a very stiff, restricted movement due to the lack of flexibility. More sheep become unsound because of being post legged than sickle hocked.

Buck kneed: An animal is buck kneed, or “over at the knees”, if the full extension of the animal’s knee cannot occur. When observed from the side, the legs appear slightly bent. This is usually seen in sheep that are too straight in the shoulder.

Calf kneed: Calf kneed is the opposite of buck kneed. This means that the animal stands “back at the knees” when viewed from the side.

Weak pasterns: Weak pasterns, which are the leg bones between the hoof and fetlock, can be determined by visually looking at their angle. Weak pasterns have more than the normal slope to them and can indicate a structural fault. As mentioned previously, correct pastern angle should be approximately 50 to 55 degrees or slightly more.

Sound hind legs are vital to the mating ability of rams, because during mating, most of the ram’s weight is supported by the hind legs. A ram with hind leg defects may suffer pain while moving or mounting, which may interfere with his desire to mate. In an aging ram with faulty conformation, defects become more apparent and may tend to decrease their ability to breed larger groups of ewes.

The ram’s legs should be free of excessive swelling at any of the joints, and joint flexure should be smooth and free of locking in any position. A sheep with straight hind legs, or post legs, is predisposed to swollen hocks and arthritis in the hind leg joints. A sheep with post leg or sickle hocks also may have more difficulty moving earlier in life, leaving it lame or unable to move freely throughout a pasture or, in the case of rams, to breed ewes.

Other visual characteristics to consider when evaluating rams relate to how filled out the animal may appear. Rams selected for breeding should exhibit volume and capacity. Indicators of volume are:

Width of the chest floor, which is the lower chest between the two front legs, Depth of body, which is the depth from the top of the animal’s back to the bottom of their belly

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Basil, also called sweet basil, is a pleasant-smelling annual plant with a spicy taste. The leaves are lightgreen, tender, and smooth. Basil grows well in the garden or as a potted plant. Cooks favor it for all kinds of tomato dishes. It can also be added to soups, vegetables, and Italian dishes. Start basil in pots indoors or outdoors if the soil temperature is above 50 degrees F. Cover seeds with fine soil, to a depth of only 1/8”. Gently press down the soil over seeds and water with fine spray. Seeds should germinate in one to two weeks. Keep the soil moist. Shade young basil plants if the weather is sunny, as they wither easily. Thin seedlings by cutting unwanted plants off at the soil surface with scissors. Basil plants should eventually be planted 12”18” apart. After seedlings are 6” high, pinch off the tops for bushier plants. Harvest basil leaves regularly, water and fertilize the plants frequently. Pinch off the flowers to keep the plant from going to seed.

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