How do I know what I am looking for when it comes to €urostar Indexes?

Firstly, you need to think about your breeding strategy for your flock. What traits do you want to enhance? Are you breeding to keep or sell replacements, or are you breeding to produce lambs for slaughter?

If a ram is being selected to breed some replacement females, then he should be 4 or 5 Star on the Replacement Index. The Replacement Index is a combination of Lamb Survivability, Number of Lambs Born, Days to slaughter, Ewe mature weight, and Daughters Milk, along with some other novel traits.  The reason Days to slaughter is included in the Replacement index is to take into account that half of the lambs produced will be male, all of which will be destined for slaughter, along with a small proportion of females that were not retained for breeding.

If a ram is being selected to only breed slaughter/factory lambs, then he should be 4 or 5 Star on the Terminal Index. Lamb Survivability and Days to Slaughter contribute to the overall Terminal Index.

If I want a ram for dual purposes, what Index(s) do I select on?

If a ram is being selected for breeding both replacement females with any males and unwanted females going for slaughter, then he should be a 4 or 5 Star on the Replacement Index as all of the Terminal traits such as lamb growth are incorporated into the overall Replacement Index as well.