At-Facility Housing and Collection
If you would like to get a sire collected and housed at Sterling Sire Services located outside of College Station, Texas please reach out via phone or email to schedule. Prior to your sire coming to our facilities please fill out the liability release and semen collection contract.
Upon arrival to Sterling, a Sterling representative will meet you to unload your animal and complete an initial exam. The initial exam will include a complete evaluation of the animals physical parameters including weight, body condition score, soundness on feet and legs, as well as having pictures of the animal taken for liability purposes.
Your ram will be individually housed in isolation for a week as part of the biosecurity plan developed for Sterling. After this isolation period, the ram will be moved into its permanent housing pen where they will stay the remainder of their time at our facilities. Housing will take place in one of two barns depending on weather conditions. In both barns, rams will be housed individually in limited sight pens minimizing stress and the chance of injury.
To ensure males have the best chance of fertility, housing during the warmer months is done in our heat management housing facility which is focused on temperature regulation and ventilation. Constructed with a raised slatted floor, this barn offers top of the line ventilation from both sides as well as from underneath. Starting in March, the barn is shaded from the afternoon sun by tree cover further keeping animals cool during the warm Texas climate.
Cool weather housing is done at our main barn with packed dirt floor and limited sight individual pens.
All rams will be fed and checked at a minimum of twice a day. Animals housed with us will be transitioned over a one week period to Sterling’s ration. Sterling has worked on a nutritional supplementation strategy targeting those individuals who struggle with fertility. Nutritional supplementation will be offered on a case by case basis unless requested by the client.