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The Relation between Sale Price and Merit in Columbia, Targhee and Rambouillet Rams

U. S. Department of Agriculture¹

Abstract

Relationships between sale price of single stud rams and various measures of merit were studied for rams sold at public auction at the U. S. Sheep Experiment Station and Western Sheep Breeding Laboratory, Dubois, Idaho, from 1946 to 1951. A total of 202 Columbia, 104 Targhee and 59 Rambouillet rams were included in the study.

Highest correlations for yearling rams were obtained between sale price and body weight. These correlation coefficients ranged from 0.24 to 0.73. Significant correlations with price were also obtained for order of sale, grease fleece weight, clean fleece weight, type score, condition score and index. Low and non-significant correlations with price were obtained for staple length, fleece fineness and face covering. The low correlation of price with face covering in Rambouillets may be due to differences in merit for other traits and to possible change in face covering from scoring time to sale time.

Type of birth had a significant effect on prices of yearling Columbia rams but not on prices of yearling Targhees. Age in days of yearling rams, age in years of mature rams and age of dam had no consistent relationship with price.

There was no evidence of any real difference between the prices of Columbia and Targhee rams with scurs and those which were strictly polled. Polled Rambouillet rams sold for higher prices than horned rams in four of five cases. The average advantage of the polled rams was $72.49 per head.

Registered Rambouillet rams brought higher prices than unregistered rams in two of three cases. The average advantage of the registered rams was $26.32 per head.

The results indicate that buyers of stud rams attach real importance to production traits such as body weight, fleece weight and mutton conformation. It appears desirable to present more information on sale rams, particularly for those traits which are difficult to appraise visually. It also seems advisable to present a selection index for each sale ram so that the buyer can take full advantage of the available records on each ram.

¹ U. S. Sheep Experiment Station and Western Sheep Breeding Laboratory, Dubois, Idaho, in cooperation with the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station.