My New Baby_Silly Me, Ram

Fireflyfarms

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He is just the cutest, i think it's lovely you took him on. I see no reason why a goat kid would not make a good companion many do have mixed flocks/herds. Heck i know of horses with a sheep "friend".
 

mikiz

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How adorable is he! Yes I had a poddy lamb and he would Maa a LOT if he couldn't see me(always came running when I called and sounded So relieved to find me :D). And the only other sheep I've ever known have all made a deep Blehhhhh sound rather than a Baa!
 

Ridgetop

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Super fun! Bummer lambs are as affectionate as bottle kids. Definitely castrate him. Adult rams are meaner than buck goats. If he gets horns, disbud him. The only sheep with horns are the breeds that are naturally horned and usually the owners want the horns on because they are breeding/showing them and it is an important show breed characteristic. Since you will not be using him for breeding and don't want damaged fences and I assume your goats are disbudded, just do him IF the horns come in. If he is several months old and no horns he is probably polled. As a wether he will make a nice pet and your little goat will make an ideal buddy for him. As herd queen Mama makes the decisions as to who stays in the herd. If Mama seems to consider him a herd member (although perhaps at the bottom of the pecking order) just keep him with them, as long as she isn't injuring him. As the other goat kids all grow he will establish a place for himself. Enjoy.
 

Queen Mum

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When do I wean him? He is growing pretty well. Boy does that little tail wag wildly when he has his bottle and his feet shuffle back and forth like mad.

He's doing really well despite his palsy which has settled down quite a bit. He loves to be brushed. He gets a dreamy sheep smile and falls asleep at some point while being brushed and combed and falls over. It's pretty amusing when that happens. He's usually leaning on me so he slides down my leg.
 

purplequeenvt

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How old is he? He's probably close to weaning age, but it wouldn't hurt to keep him on the bottle a little longer.
 

Queen Mum

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I think he is getting close to three months. He looks and acts about the same age as my baby goats. His testicles are still very small so I know he isn't close to puberty yet and he is barely grazing. Do rams get smelly when the get near puberty, like goats?
 

purplequeenvt

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They have an odor, older rams more than young boys, but nothing like bucks.

I'd castrate him soon, if I were you. Bottle rams are much more likely to become aggressive than bucks.

I'd start cutting back in his milk. If you are feeding 3x a day, cut back to 2 or from 2 feedings down to 1. After a while just stop bringing a bottle. Just make sure he is eating grass, hay, and grain well.
 

Queen Mum

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Thanks for the advice. I will castrate him next week. He's on two feedings so I will cut out his evening feeding. He seems less interested in that one lately.
 

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