# Which Methods do you find the Best for Keeping Rams Away from Ewes.



## Singing Shepherd (Jul 23, 2016)

Good Evening All - 
This is my first year breeding my sheep.  I have purchased and am about to go get my beautiful ram and want to keep him away from the ewes til October.  I have several fenced areas ready with shelter. However, they are all on the same meadow, just separated by about a football field's length.  One enclosure is not within sight of the others. The other enclosures are open to each other sight wise.  Any sage advice would be appreciated.  And thanks very much.  Smiles!


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## Singing Shepherd (Jul 23, 2016)

Just an addendum - I spent several hours this afternoon on this site, pouring through all the forum entries applicable to this subject that I could find,  those about breeding practices regarding keeping the Rams separate from ewes or not during the year, etc. If I missed a post that would answer my questions, please just direct me to it.

Edit:  I have five Wethers that I planned to split between the ram and ewe paddocks - so no one will be alone, and the ram is coming with a wether pal he was raised with,  so that during quarantine period he will not be lonely,  They are five months old in August.


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## promiseacres (Jul 24, 2016)

Our ram (s) were simply kept in another pen, seversl strands of hot high tensile kept them seperated. I had more issues when weaning lambs.


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## Roving Jacobs (Jul 24, 2016)

My rams regularly share fencelines with my ewes without a problem. Just make sure it's a good, sturdy fence and a sturdy gate and you should be ok. They aren't usually fence jumpers like goats, they just go through fencing if it's weak enough. If he's all by himself he's more likely to be desperate to get to the ewes for some companionship, especially if they are kept far away but still in sight. Even rams don't like being single sheep.


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## Sheepshape (Jul 24, 2016)

Agree entirely with Roving Jacobs re company.....sheep are the ultimate flock animal and hate to be kept on their own.

I try to keep my rams as far as possible from the ewes and have found mine to be pretty able 'woolly jumpers', especially in the breeding season. It is not so much the SIGHT of the ewes, but the smell....sheep have an amazing sense of smell and rams will do anything to get to ewes in season.

Several rams/wethers can be kept together.....introduce the rams to each other slowly....initially with a fence between them until they are familiar with each others' smell. Rams  are generally OK together until the girls start coming into season, then intact rams start fighting.


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## Singing Shepherd (Jul 24, 2016)

Thank you for he responses so far.  As you mentioned Sheepshape, it's the "I can smell a ewe, yahoo!" Ram response that I remain concerned with  We raised cattle on this farm when I was young, and I remember a neighboring farmer telling a story of a bull that crashed through three farms' fences, traveling down the road to get to a cow he wanted on this neighbor farmer's pasture.  I know sheep are not cattle, but even though I have them in separate pastures away from sight of each other I fear a January lambing.


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## norseofcourse (Jul 24, 2016)

I am fortunate the Elding respects the electric fence that separates him from his girls, but I'm also fortunate that mine are seasonal breeders, so I only have to separate him for a month or two, and a fencing disaster or escape would only mean March lambs, which isn't nearly as bad as January can be around here.

Sorry I don't have any sage advice... but good luck!


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## L J (Aug 23, 2016)

my ram (and his lil whether buddy) are in a pasture that borders the ewe's.  They sometimes congregate at each side of the fence, like their own social hour. But it doesn't cause an issue.  I did put the ram in w the girls last night for about an hour, to see how they would re-adjust to him being around the lambs (they are 5 months).  the Moms were fine, but the ewe lambs do not like dad!  

I'll need to separate the moms and babies now... soooo not looking forward to the lamb screams


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## Baymule (Aug 23, 2016)

I weaned my lambs at 4 months old. While there was quite a bit of BAA-BAA and MAA-MAA it wasn't so bad. I switched the ewes to a pasture that bordered the yard I put the lambs in and the ewes would lay under the oaks next to the fence to ruminate and sleep. It seemed to keep both sides happy that they could be next to each other.


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## Mini Horses (Aug 23, 2016)

I don't do sheep -- goats, horses, donkeys, cattle, chickens, just never sheep -- so I have no advice based on them.   BUT sure had every other critter with raging hormones at some time. 

Smell is what they key on.  I found a good smathering of menthol Vaseline sure quieted those stallions down.   It was a known element in the showrings, for reasons from other stallions to mares.    Last week I had a group of young bucklings (6 mos old) going nuts over a couple of does ...  I pulled out some strong mint spray and put it on the girls rear quarters, and got some menthol on the bucks noses.   They quieted down.   Unfortunately it doesn't last long, maybe a day.  But sometimes that is enough.  Of course, if you get enough on area near the nose, it may last several days.   Goats are worse because they pee so much it's hard to keep up with it.


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