frustratedearthmother
Herd Master
- Joined
- May 7, 2013
- Messages
- 8,406
- Reaction score
- 16,347
- Points
- 673
Survival of the fittest! Maybe he's meaner than the coyotes. 
Infertile Ram?
- Thread starter mysunwolf
- Start date
Sheepshape
Herd Master
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2012
- Messages
- 1,706
- Reaction score
- 3,097
- Points
- 373
I hope he'll come in with the girls.....hopefully he will as they should serve as a magnet for him.
Don't beat yourself up...sounds as though he'll be fine. Maybe this was the one animal they treated well as they were going to sell him.
He probably will settle down a lot over the next few days as he gets used to his new environment.....he still has 'stage fright' right now.
Don't beat yourself up...sounds as though he'll be fine. Maybe this was the one animal they treated well as they were going to sell him.
He probably will settle down a lot over the next few days as he gets used to his new environment.....he still has 'stage fright' right now.
- Thread starter
- #24
mysunwolf
Herd Master
Don't worry, I was joking about leaving him out with the coyotes! We have 50mph winds, temps at 14˚F, and windchill at -3˚F, currently still in my warm house drinking hot coffee 
I used a grain bucket and a lead on his halter and led/dragged him back into the bunny barn. Then I put the infertile ram back with the flock and put everyone in for the night. I think we'll try introductions again when the temperatures get above freezing. I'll keep updating and maybe there will actually be LAMBS in 2015!
Thank you to this amazing community I don't like to think of the crazed stuff I would get into if I didn't have your advice!!
I used a grain bucket and a lead on his halter and led/dragged him back into the bunny barn. Then I put the infertile ram back with the flock and put everyone in for the night. I think we'll try introductions again when the temperatures get above freezing. I'll keep updating and maybe there will actually be LAMBS in 2015!Thank you to this amazing community
I don't like to think of the crazed stuff I would get into if I didn't have your advice!!
That's how my new ram is. He wants to ram me every time I enter the field. Frankly, I'm scared of him lol. So I'm trying to sell him. He was raised by a man who's been in the sheep industry for two years and he has two young daughters that babied him and played with him. Definitely not the way to raise a breeding ram! He has good production behind him which is why I took the gamble, however with the way he was raised he should've been sold for meat.
The two ram lambs I overwintered last year (I shouldn't have lol -- such a waste of hay) and my current ram lamb I kept back are such nice animals. They will fight with each other, try to breed ewes through the fence, etc, but they don't bother me. They will come up to the fence and let me scratch them and pet them, but not usually. But I can go in their pen with grain or hay and they don't try to attack me for feed, or even show any aggression/signs of aggression. That's how rams should behave. I'm not sure exactly what I did to raise them to behave so nicely, but I hope I can continue to produce ram lambs with that temperament so that way buyers aren't in the same boat as I am--scared of their ram.
The two ram lambs I overwintered last year (I shouldn't have lol -- such a waste of hay) and my current ram lamb I kept back are such nice animals. They will fight with each other, try to breed ewes through the fence, etc, but they don't bother me. They will come up to the fence and let me scratch them and pet them, but not usually. But I can go in their pen with grain or hay and they don't try to attack me for feed, or even show any aggression/signs of aggression. That's how rams should behave. I'm not sure exactly what I did to raise them to behave so nicely, but I hope I can continue to produce ram lambs with that temperament so that way buyers aren't in the same boat as I am--scared of their ram.
Sheepshape
Herd Master
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2012
- Messages
- 1,706
- Reaction score
- 3,097
- Points
- 373
I treat all my sheep pretty similarly, including hand feeding,head and brisket stroking etc. Up until a short while back I had 7 rams (down to 5 now) with 4 adults and 3 ram lambs and could happily and safely stand amongst them. SheepGirl, I guess your rams have developed respect for you. They like you and know you are the source of their food and comfort.
What I would say is that there are some 'rogue' rams who are just plain nasty....I would get rid of them. Most I find to be just as manageable as ewes,though they need treating a little differently. Usually as ram lambs reach 'puberty' they feel the need to 'show who is boss'.....that boss must be you. You must be the head ram and stand for none of their nonsense and have to have respect. There seems to be one or two occasions when they try to head butt in their adolescence, or actually do so. When this happens, I slap them quite hard across the muzzle and say 'no', if necessary chasing after the animal to do so.You can usually predict when they are going to try the butting as they eye you up for a while before making a move. This is the best time to nip things in the bud....stand your ground and slap hard....in my experience once is usually enough. I've used this method for years and it has always worked for me, apart from with a particular ram called Ivor the A**hole who a neighbour wanted.......or he would have formed nice lamb chops for somebody's freezer (and I'm a very long-term vegetarian)
I never assume to be so 'familiar' with rams which I have acquired as swops, though most do become just as manageable as the home bred ones. In the breeding season I treat the rams a little differently, leaving them generally undisturbed with their group of ewes.
Before somebody shoots me down in flames for my 'soft'/foolish attitude towards rams.....this works for me, and I am not saying it is right for everybody. I have had a nasty billy goat who broke my leg badly and I didn't walk for 6 months....so I don't go in for being cavalier or foolhardy . I also have relatively placid sheep types....Beulah Speckled Face are medium sized and generally not aggressive and Blue Faced Leicesters are gigantic (ram well over 20 stones of neat muscle), but a placid,gentle breed.
Good luck with all your rams, folks.
What I would say is that there are some 'rogue' rams who are just plain nasty....I would get rid of them. Most I find to be just as manageable as ewes,though they need treating a little differently. Usually as ram lambs reach 'puberty' they feel the need to 'show who is boss'.....that boss must be you. You must be the head ram and stand for none of their nonsense and have to have respect. There seems to be one or two occasions when they try to head butt in their adolescence, or actually do so. When this happens, I slap them quite hard across the muzzle and say 'no', if necessary chasing after the animal to do so.You can usually predict when they are going to try the butting as they eye you up for a while before making a move. This is the best time to nip things in the bud....stand your ground and slap hard....in my experience once is usually enough. I've used this method for years and it has always worked for me, apart from with a particular ram called Ivor the A**hole who a neighbour wanted.......or he would have formed nice lamb chops for somebody's freezer (and I'm a very long-term vegetarian)
I never assume to be so 'familiar' with rams which I have acquired as swops, though most do become just as manageable as the home bred ones. In the breeding season I treat the rams a little differently, leaving them generally undisturbed with their group of ewes.
Before somebody shoots me down in flames for my 'soft'/foolish attitude towards rams.....this works for me, and I am not saying it is right for everybody. I have had a nasty billy goat who broke my leg badly and I didn't walk for 6 months....so I don't go in for being cavalier or foolhardy . I also have relatively placid sheep types....Beulah Speckled Face are medium sized and generally not aggressive and Blue Faced Leicesters are gigantic (ram well over 20 stones of neat muscle), but a placid,gentle breed.
Good luck with all your rams, folks.
- Thread starter
- #27
mysunwolf
Herd Master
I know having an aggressive ram is an awful situation to be in, but I'm so grateful for your experiences SheepGirl and Sheepshape.
I suspect that this aggressive ram I have was treated like a pet--when I went to pick him up and we walked into the field, the man who owned him patted him on the head in greeting. My infertile ram, who I have had to work with very closely (he is partially halter trained), is also beginning to show some small signs of aggression. I have had good luck with twisting his ears when he gently headbutted me in the past--I don't let roosters dance for me, so I certainly won't let ram lambs test me in this way either. Luckily he's leaving soon, too.
The new ram is in with the girls and has already bred at least 2-3 of them, and is working hard on the others. It seems as if they are all attempting to accelerate their cycles in order to actually get bred, as I've seen a few come around after 16 days and some that are interested in him that I'd swear cycled only 8 days ago. I'm going to leave him in for 40 days and then send him down to the processor with the infertile ram, the wether, and a cull ewe lamb. Just have to be absolutely sure that they mark which packages are the mutton! By that time, I should be able to see if the ewes cycle again. I'm curious to see what lambing looks like in the spring after all these breeding complications.
So far, the new ram has not charged me while in the field as he has been too busy breeding the girls. They've settled down around him, so they're one big happy flock at this point (sort of). He is about 200lbs and fairly nice, for a Katahdin.
Bothering my huge ewe lamb, Cow.
From the other side.
I suspect that this aggressive ram I have was treated like a pet--when I went to pick him up and we walked into the field, the man who owned him patted him on the head in greeting. My infertile ram, who I have had to work with very closely (he is partially halter trained), is also beginning to show some small signs of aggression. I have had good luck with twisting his ears when he gently headbutted me in the past--I don't let roosters dance for me, so I certainly won't let ram lambs test me in this way either. Luckily he's leaving soon, too.
The new ram is in with the girls and has already bred at least 2-3 of them, and is working hard on the others. It seems as if they are all attempting to accelerate their cycles in order to actually get bred, as I've seen a few come around after 16 days and some that are interested in him that I'd swear cycled only 8 days ago. I'm going to leave him in for 40 days and then send him down to the processor with the infertile ram, the wether, and a cull ewe lamb. Just have to be absolutely sure that they mark which packages are the mutton! By that time, I should be able to see if the ewes cycle again. I'm curious to see what lambing looks like in the spring after all these breeding complications.
So far, the new ram has not charged me while in the field as he has been too busy breeding the girls. They've settled down around him, so they're one big happy flock at this point (sort of). He is about 200lbs and fairly nice, for a Katahdin.
Bothering my huge ewe lamb, Cow.
From the other side.
BrownSheep
Lost in the flock
- Joined
- May 23, 2011
- Messages
- 2,011
- Reaction score
- 451
- Points
- 203
He is a nice looking fella. Sorry he is such a pain though.
Our first ram was similar. A former bottle baby that turned aggressive. Now that we have more rams he doesn't waste his efforts on us. He generally just wants us to scratch behind his ears for him (horns get in his way).
We won't sell him since it would just be putting some one else in a bad boat and we're kind of fond of him now.
Our first ram was similar. A former bottle baby that turned aggressive. Now that we have more rams he doesn't waste his efforts on us. He generally just wants us to scratch behind his ears for him (horns get in his way).
We won't sell him since it would just be putting some one else in a bad boat and we're kind of fond of him now.
Sheepshape
Herd Master
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2012
- Messages
- 1,706
- Reaction score
- 3,097
- Points
- 373
Nice looking ram,thick set and looks like he knows one end of a ewe from the other. My fingers are crossed for you....I'm sure he'll step up to the mark.
I am seeing what I believe to be typical behaviour from sheep newly pregnant in my little flock. Having left the ram which I wanted to be father of any lambs in with each of two small flocks of sheep (the smallest with a ram of their own kind and the largest with a massive Leicester), I did a ram swop a week ago to try to eliminate 'sterile pairings'. The boys immediately checked out their new group of girls. Mostly the girls just sniffed the new ram and then walked away. One ewe hung around the big Leicester after a couple of days and he did hid best to ensure her pregnancy.
Yesterday I saw the big guy (Goliath) stroll over to my smallest ewe, Minnie, who I know was repeatedly mated by Dave, the smaller ram. Goliath stands 6 inches taller than her, and looks twice as long. Tongue out, licking her side, pawing, low grumbling noise....I thought...oh no.....but Minnie just bolted away from him, not even bothering to pee.I'm hoping this is what the hormonal change of a small bunch of cells will do.
I am seeing what I believe to be typical behaviour from sheep newly pregnant in my little flock. Having left the ram which I wanted to be father of any lambs in with each of two small flocks of sheep (the smallest with a ram of their own kind and the largest with a massive Leicester), I did a ram swop a week ago to try to eliminate 'sterile pairings'. The boys immediately checked out their new group of girls. Mostly the girls just sniffed the new ram and then walked away. One ewe hung around the big Leicester after a couple of days and he did hid best to ensure her pregnancy.
Yesterday I saw the big guy (Goliath) stroll over to my smallest ewe, Minnie, who I know was repeatedly mated by Dave, the smaller ram. Goliath stands 6 inches taller than her, and looks twice as long. Tongue out, licking her side, pawing, low grumbling noise....I thought...oh no.....but Minnie just bolted away from him, not even bothering to pee.I'm hoping this is what the hormonal change of a small bunch of cells will do.
- Thread starter
- #30
mysunwolf
Herd Master
We are trying to sell this one as an aggressive ram... but not sure that will go over too well. If anyone wants him, let me know He has not charged me in the field at all yet, but I'm making a point of not going in there. In the evenings, I lead everyone in for grain, and as long as I have my trusty stick he doesn't make any moves to headbutt.
I'm marking my calendar when I see him breed the ewes. As we get into December some, I should know how effective he is. Hopefully we'll have him in for two cycles and then take him out. After that, we plan to sell him or eat him (not real excited about the 2 or 2.5yr old ram mutton). We'll probably hold onto one of his sons next spring and hope that the aggression is not genetic.
We had our first snow here, around the same time I finished fencing the rest of my land, a nice south-facing 2-acre field that was hayed in 2013 and hasn't been touched all this year. It took them a while, but now the sheep are loving their standing hay. They haven't touched the bales since I opened up the extra land (woohoo!).
He has not charged me in the field at all yet, but I'm making a point of not going in there. In the evenings, I lead everyone in for grain, and as long as I have my trusty stick he doesn't make any moves to headbutt.I'm marking my calendar when I see him breed the ewes. As we get into December some, I should know how effective he is. Hopefully we'll have him in for two cycles and then take him out. After that, we plan to sell him or eat him (not real excited about the 2 or 2.5yr old ram mutton). We'll probably hold onto one of his sons next spring and hope that the aggression is not genetic.
We had our first snow here, around the same time I finished fencing the rest of my land, a nice south-facing 2-acre field that was hayed in 2013 and hasn't been touched all this year. It took them a while, but now the sheep are loving their standing hay. They haven't touched the bales since I opened up the extra land (woohoo!).
