Preventing rams from fighting

BlueMoonFarms

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I have two rams, one Shetland and one Jacobs. Neither are aggressive to us yet, they are both a year and a half old and have never had a problem before. This is Crackers first breeding season, Dominic's second.
The two of them were reintroduced to each other today and I made the mistake of not putting them in a tiny little pen, instead allowing them to run about the pasture.
Dominic, the Shetland, did not take kindly to Crackers, the Jacobs.
They slammed together in the most impressive fight ever. We actually couldn't separate them at first which is the beginning of my first question.

-If the rams are going at, what is a safe and effective way to separate them?

Now continuing the story...
They fought, we waited for an opportunity to nab one and separate them, when Crackers submitted and ran away from Dominic. Turned out he was injured but that's for another post....
We gave chase once we realized that Crackers was running from Dominic and finally was able to catch the both of them.
I read online from Lavender fleece's website how to properly reintroduce rams. We sprayed them both with my husbands cologne on the nose, testicles and crotch, healed up Crackers injuries, and then put them both in my goats little kidding pen with a hay bale in the very middle so they can only stand up and move around as well as being unable to slam heads.
Its been about...12-13 hours now and Dominic is still pawing at Crackers a little. I purchased a ram shield for Dominic so he wont be able to harm Crackers anymore. I hope anyway...
I'm not expecting them to adore each other, but is their anything else i can do to help get Dominic to coexist with Crackers again?

Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
 

BrownSheep

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There really isn't a safe way to separate them physically. You can hose them which should get their attention. In my rams cases they don't fight often and when they do its short and sweet.
My rams are actually buddies for the most part. The older two hand out together and the younger two as well.

What you have done is all I would have had to suggest. Except I would purchase a second ram shield. With him blinded like that it probably wont take the other one that long to figure that out.
 

BlueMoonFarms

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There really isn't a safe way to separate them physically. You can hose them which should get their attention. In my rams cases they don't fight often and when they do its short and sweet.
My rams are actually buddies for the most part. The older two hand out together and the younger two as well.

What you have done is all I would have had to suggest. Except I would purchase a second ram shield. With him blinded like that it probably wont take the other one that long to figure that out.

:/ Wonderful. Well at least we have the hose I can give that a shot should this happen again.
My two used to be buddies, then we separated them for breeding season and Dominic just lost it. WHAT A FIGHT!
Wow is all I can say. They slammed so hard they both collapsed at one point!
I did try and order two :hit but they called me tonight and said they only had one in stock...So only one we have until I can buy a second for Crackers.
Hopefully he wont be a pill...
However i did read about putting a visor on them? So If I cant find one and he starts being a pill I can always try to makeshift something.
You haven't heard of the visor thing before have you?
 

BrownSheep

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Not that I can think of but really anything that blocks their view to the front should do it. Worst comes to worst you could always tie a paper plate to their head.
 

Roving Jacobs

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Keep them locked up tight for at least a couple of days with nothing but hay and water and that should settle them down a bit. Slowly work up to a full pasture if you can. Sometimes it just takes them a while to readjust to bachelor life after being in with the girls.
 

BlueMoonFarms

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So they were put back out today.
I started with them in the catch pen, Dominic wearing his ram shield and bumping into everything. They were eating hay and perfectly fine. I went back out a few hours later and they were still fine.
So I tempted fate and let them back into their pen.
Dominic...was a jerk...
Even with the ram shield he was poking at, jabbing at, and attempting to slam into Crackers. Crackers ignored him the best he could and just like before he submitted like a good boy.
Dominic finally smacked into a tree and rammed the rose bush WITH THE RAM SHIELD STILL ON, before he finally seemed to give up trying to chase down Crackers.
Gosh is such a thick headed butt head...
But at least now he can't hurt Crackers just himself.
Ugh...Such a pill.
 

BlueMoonFarms

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Well so far so good :)
Crackers does not seem to care about Dominic and has been leaving him be. Dominic is a bit moody still and every now and then whacks Crackers in the shoulder, but with the ram shield on he has been behaving.
After breeding season is 100% over I should be able to take the ram shield off again right?
 

Bryan99705

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:/ Wonderful. Well at least we have the hose I can give that a shot should this happen again.
My two used to be buddies, then we separated them for breeding season and Dominic just lost it. WHAT A FIGHT!
Wow is all I can say. They slammed so hard they both collapsed at one point!
I did try and order two :hit but they called me tonight and said they only had one in stock...So only one we have until I can buy a second for Crackers.
Hopefully he wont be a pill...
However i did read about putting a visor on them? So If I cant find one and he starts being a pill I can always try to makeshift something.
You haven't heard of the visor thing before have you?


Why don't you make a temporary one out of duct tape till a second one is purchased? If you can't fix it, Duct it!
 

BlueMoonFarms

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Why don't you make a temporary one out of duct tape till a second one is purchased? If you can't fix it, Duct it!
That is an idea actually. I tried the plate and the dog just ended up eating it. However Crackers is not showing any interest in hurting Dominic. That's why I love him so much, hes just ignoring Dominic even when the stubborn boy comes over and tries to smack him. Im on a waiting list with a backup piece of cardboard just in case Crackers changes his mind about being nice.
Im just hoping Dominic stops being such a pill in the spring :/
 

purplequeenvt

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I recently combined 16 rams (well, a few of them were actually wethers). I squished them into a small pen that had just enough room for all of them. Some of them were still being stupid and shoving each other so I put a strong minty ointment (Vicks) on all of the stupid one's noses. The next morning, I put the ointment on everyone again and let them out into the big pen. No blood, no fuss.
 

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