New Ram... behavior help please...

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

We got blessed by someone giving us their 3 year old American Blackbelly ram. He is gorgeous, and friendly! However, he was a bottle baby and has BIG horns and now he's been here 2 weeks and is starting to butt me. I think he is trying to protect his girls but I am not sure how to handle him. Every time he comes close and acts like he wants to butt me I am very gentle and try to ignore him as much as possible. I then scratch him on his neck and *most* of the time he'll go away after a few "fake" head butts, he hasn't hit me hard yet, but I am not wanting it to get to that point so I was wondering if there was anything I needed to do or a certain way I should touch or act around him.

 

[Sheepshape]

Well,I'm no expert,but I've had this behaviour from rams and it is particularly likely in bottle lambs as they are unafraid of humans. Horned rams are a particular problem as they hurt a lot more if they butt!

It IS likely that his behaviour is determined by the presence of ewes. He is trying to show them and you that he is the dominant guy around the place and therefore he is the one that they should choose to mate with.

Check with the folk who gave you the ram as to what his prior behaviour is like. Rams are either naturally aggressive (and I wouldn't keep one of these unless he were a prize-winner!) or have potential to be aggressive (e.g in the breeding season or when he is with 'his' ewes, and they are all 'his' as soon as he in the field with them). If he was aggressive before, then you will have to keep away from any contact with him or GET RID OF HIM.

It sounds as though he is plucking up courage to whack you....if you let him he is then top ram (rather than you) and he will go for you time after time. It may be best to establish right now that YOU are top ram. When he comes 'threatening' you,shout,tap him on his nose,or rap him sharply with the feed bucket or a small stick. (the aim is NOT to hurt him,so no need for brute force, just let him know who is boss).Never turn your back on him.....

The above is 'conventional wisdom' and it is said never to be wise to make friends with rams, so I wouldn't advise copying what I am going to describe. I have two huge adult rams....the biggest weighing well over 20 stones.... both admittedly without horns. One was born here,the other was 5 when we did a swop with a neighbour for one of our rams. The one born here has always been treated as a pet and I (a relatively lightweight female) have never felt any threat from Goliath.....he rubs his head on me and comes to be stroked even when the ewes are in with him. The old boy, Freddie, has become exactly the same over the 3 years we have had him. Temperamentally they are clearly genetically non-aggressive.I have a group of ram lambs (sons of these two) who all are real sweethearts at the moment and I stroke them daily.

However, I have had another ram who became known as Ifor the A***hole. He was a nightmare and I never would have let him get close to me unless there was a fence between. When a neighbour admired him, we did a swop.....and I was totally honest about his behaviour.

So....safest strategy is to show you are alpha male (whether you are male or female!) and demand respect from him.

Good Luck.

 

[alsea1]

Animals are very quick. He is testing you. If you do not do something about this he is going to nail you.

I would decide how close he is allowed to me. Since we are humans we have to have an equalizer

I would get one of those shock poles. When he invades your space shock him once. It should not take long before he decides you are to be left alone.

If this ram hits you and gets you down you will be in serious trouble.

My ram has tried to do this with me. It spooked me. I made myself as big as possible and acted like a crazy woman and chased him all over the paddock. He has steered clear of me since.

I am not afraid of him, but I respect that he is strong and driven by instincts that dictate his behavior. Its this behavior that makes him a good breeding animal.

I['m sure your ram will be a good boy. You just need to establish the ground rules with him.

Where are pics.
LOL
.

 

[BrownSheep]

Don't pet him. If you can help it keep hm away from you at all costs.

Some people have had success with squirt bottles.

Once they start the baby butts it's only a matter of time till they do the real thing.

 

[boothcreek]

There is a reason I do no bottle raise any rams of either my ABBs or Moufs. I have seen a bottle raised Kathadin ram that would almost hospitalize you even with electric cattle prod, hockey stick and baseball bat combined and could you imagen that attitude in a more nimble body-format with horns......?

That said yours sounds like his base character seems friendly, but he is testing the waters in hierarchy right now(and being awefully nice about it) and it needs to be decided and shut down ASAP. I see it amongst my boys, most rank squabbles are short and not all that brutal, a subtle invasion of personal space of the other ram(kinda like, are you still higher rank than me???), some posturing and maybe even a mild head-butting(not even taken a run at it, just standing there and bonk). Unless there is a big change in the herd, that is that and the topic is off the table. But you have to be firm with it, otherwise he will constantly challenge you.

One of my yearlings, kind of pushed at my boundaries 3-4 months ago, he has always been the nosiest and tolerant of people, but he started to follow too close when I had the grain bucket and start butting the bucket ever so slightly while walking behind me, or grazing me in the back of the legs with the tips of his horns while walking behind me. All a no go. Couple annoyed taps on the tip of the horns when he came to close sealed the deal at what is "my SPACE". He has been stellar since.

I have a very good relationship to my rams, I think. They take treats out of my hand and while they are eating I can pet most of them on the top of their back, but I am not trying to get much closer than that. I am happy if they approach me and don't jump out of their skins when I move among them. I can handle all the ewes with the 3 rams in with them and they kind of treat me like a "non-entity".

Last week one of my ewe lambs came into her first heat, the 3 rams in with her have it figured and its a mellow event, but my mouflon ram jumped his and their fence to get at her and all hell broke loose. He wasn't included in their ranks so there was battles going on and the poor ewe got downed in the cross-fire(she is back-up, limping but up, poor thing)...... I could go in, go thru the rams, pick-up the ewe and carry her out with the rams not even looking at me cross(they kept looking at the ewe like :where are you going??? and what are you doing up there?).

Anyhow, I am rambling now.....

I would stop scratching him on the neck or anywhere, even if he doesn't move away and in fact invites the touch you are invading HIS personal space which in turn gives him the right to invade YOURS(and since you haven't established the boundary he will see how far he can invade it). Giving treats, fine. When you move in their pasture be firm with how far away he has to stay, my rams hate having their horns touched, especially being tapped on the tips. Its a good way of non-violently getting him to get out of your space.

Escalate the amount of force used only if he ups his, I found they really only like to expend as much energy as has been received unless they want to start an all out battle.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I will try getting an electric or cattle prod. I just know that with my boy goats anytime I tried to "be the bigger wo-man" and got "firmer" with them, they would get MORE aggressive with me, when I stopped trying to "fight" them they stopped and walked away, I just didn't want the same thing to happen with the ram.

He was raised by a three year old kid and they gave him to his prior home which was a petting zoo where he had no females and was locked in a little cage so he was very "butt-y". The lady was very forward with how he acted, but I wanted him anyway because he is so beautiful.

Will get pics asap!

 

[Roving Jacobs]

Before spending money on a prod I would just try turning him away with a strong "no" whenever he comes over. He doesn't sound aggressive, just like he's testing his boundaries and you've been letting him know its ok for him to touch you like that. On my farm if a ram even pretends to butt me or rub against me he gets grabbed by the chin or horn and I stare them down and tell them how very very wrong they were then turn them away (sometimes with a boot to the rump to get them moving). They can't butt if you have their chin up. If they come back they go on the ground and we have the discussion there. Halter breaking them can also get them used to the fact that you are in charge and that cooperating is best for everyone involved.

I currently have 3 adult rams and 5 ram lambs in my pasture and none of them have challenged me more than once and I safely walk through their field multiple times a day.

 

[alsea1]

I like the chin thing. Both are correct. With all animals you want to use only the amount of force needed to accomplish the task.
The hard part is in training ourselves. We just naturally want to be friends.
With some that just is not so good.

 

[promiseacres]

2nd the grabbing horns....my big guy usually is well behaved but after a week in with the girls he was in my face and threatening Me when I walked thru their pen. Grabbed his horns (he definatley outweighs me by 100+#) and backed him up. He has been respectful since. Personally I don't think I would ever have a polled ram Bc no handles.....

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Ok I will try grabbing his horns (that's how we move him around) and make him look up at me when he "fake butts" me and see how that works.