# what up with the butting?



## Eliza (Sep 27, 2009)

My 6 month old wethers, when excited run around and butt heads.  Is this excited, happy behavior.  They also run up to me, lick my hands, and then do the head butt thing.  They are brothers, and they are the only sheep I have, so they spend all their time together.  

Eliza


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## ohiofarmgirl (Sep 27, 2009)

are they butting YOU?? or just each other?? if its just each other its just fine but you dont want them doing it to you or anybody else. 

my dairy gals do it all the time - usually very gently

this was hilarious when our big old sannan would rear up to full height to butt with your tiny mini-mancha....which scared us to death and the first time we went running thinking for sure she'd kill the little one.... but instead she landed on her feet..and GENTLY give the tiniest little bonk to the mini.... silly goaties.


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## Beekissed (Sep 27, 2009)

My young ewes are now butting each other at times, but only one has offered to lightly butt me.  I corrected her immediately.  One day she will be much larger and a good, hard butting could knock me down or injure a youngster.  

I wouldn't worry about butting each other, though...it's just what they do! 

I've found that petting them on the head seems to make them want to butt, so I try to avoid that.


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## Eliza (Sep 27, 2009)

No, I correct them when they want to include me in the butting thing.  LOL!  And I've noticed that head petting incourages them to want to do it as well.  Also, when I pet them, their docked tails wag.  Is this a sign of excitment or just a sheep thing?  It's hard not to want to pat their heads though!


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## little sheep (Jun 26, 2011)

Hi i was just wondering if anyone has any advice or experience of a ewe that butts and is behaving like a ram ,knickering and curling her lips back and trying to  mount the other ewes. It is me that she is butting or anyone who goes into the field. THis has been going on for a month  now. She is 6 years old and usually pregnant at this time, but she had 2 difficult lambings in the last 2 seasons, I had to pull out  triplets both times. She is a real pet and I would like to keep her but she has become so aggressive and used to be so quiet.


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## rockdoveranch (Jun 26, 2011)

Head butting between each other is normal behavior.  They may be establishing territory, or they may be doing it for reasons we will never understand, just like the leg pawing.  "Hey, get out of my way, I want that one leaf of grass you are going for!"

The tail wagging is a behavior when nursing.  My bottle baby starts a wagging as soon as she sees me come outside with the bottle.  Since your boys are only 6 months old my guess is that maybe they are hoping for a sip of milk.

Are they actually hitting you with heads down, or are they hitting you more with their mouths?  If it is with their mouths, they are looking for milk.

If they are actually butting you with their heads this is VERY bad.  

Were they bottle babies?  Bottle baby rams can be a lot more dangerous than sheep that were not bottle fed because they have no fear of man.

We are new to wethering, but I am told from locals never to make a ram lamb your pet.  Not sure about wethers although our current wether is putting his head on me.  He is going to the freezer soon.


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## Beekissed (Jun 26, 2011)

little sheep said:
			
		

> Hi i was just wondering if anyone has any advice or experience of a ewe that butts and is behaving like a ram ,knickering and curling her lips back and trying to  mount the other ewes. It is me that she is butting or anyone who goes into the field. THis has been going on for a month  now. She is 6 years old and usually pregnant at this time, but she had 2 difficult lambings in the last 2 seasons, I had to pull out  triplets both times. She is a real pet and I would like to keep her but she has become so aggressive and used to be so quiet.


I can't say I know what is going on with your ewe but it sounds like a woman in menopause...irregular ovulation, mood swings, aggressive behavior.  Could be it's time to cull?  If I had a ewe that was having difficulty birthing, I'd cull her no matter what her age or pet status unless she was a flock leader and valuable to your setup.  At the very least, I'd no longer breed her.


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## little sheep (Jun 27, 2011)

Thanks for that advice, yes I didn't breed her this year because of her difficult birthings I am assuming it is her age cos her first 3 lambings there were no problems. I did think of the menopause thing or at least her age affecting her,dementia? I dont know any how if it continues then I will have to  cull her, I cant have the agressive behaviour. any one elses views would be welcome


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 27, 2011)

It does sound like a hormonal issue to me. Six isn't old though, so it may just be a fluke thing with her.  If you really like her you could always call your vet and see if they can run a blood test to check for hormonal issues. It could be a cystic ovary or something treatable.  


And I know the wether question is old, but Rock, wethers make really great pets. Properly castrated wethers (meaning they didn't leave a testicle) are not aggressive.


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## rockdoveranch (Jun 27, 2011)

With regard to the responses about menopause and hormones.  Menopause is a thing of the past for me.  That came and went 11 years in one big hurry.  Hormones . . . I have felt like butting people all my life.  




			
				aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> And I know the wether question is old, but Rock, wethers make really great pets. Properly castrated wethers (meaning they didn't leave a testicle) are not aggressive.


Thanks for the information Aggie.  I had no idea.  I think we waited a little too long to wether him.  I think he was about 3 1/2 months.  He IS very sweet, but when I have a bucket of feed in my arms and am walking the herd back to the overnight pasture he puts his head on the back of my legs.  He has never rammed me.  He is probably telling me, "hurry up lady!"  

Up until him, a Texas Barbado and White Dorper mix with horns, and our current White Dorper ewe lamb, all our sheep have been Texas Barbado.  The rams all go to the ram pasture until they have nice horns.  The ones we do not want to keep go to game ranches as trophy rams.  

Had our White Dorper ram not died we were planning on keeping him as the ram's companion.  But, we really weren't sure because of the horns.  He is going to be our first lamb to go to our freezer.


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## Bossroo (Jun 27, 2011)

Well now, with all the HEAT in Texas these days, this yungun heard how COOL  it was in freezer camp and he wants to see if it is true.  The thing of " he puts his on the back of my legs. He has never rammed me". Just wait a while and he WILL, and it aint goin' to be pleasant. I know, I ended up in bed, then crutches for about a month  after one ram lamb gave me a " hurry up kiddo" in the back of my R knee ( torn ligament) that I never saw comming.


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## rockdoveranch (Jun 27, 2011)

Bossroo said:
			
		

> Well now, with all the HEAT in Texas these days, this yungun heard how COOL  it was in freezer camp and he wants to see if it is true.  The thing of " he puts his on the back of my legs. He has never rammed me". Just wait a while and he WILL, and it aint goin' to be pleasant. I know, I ended up in bed, then crutches for about a month  after one ram lamb gave me a " hurry up kiddo" in the back of my R knee ( torn ligament) that I never saw comming.


I have a neighbor down the road that went on disability, SSDI, after being severally injured by a Barbado ram she had bottle fed.  He started ramming her and would not stop.  Someone in our county got killed by a cow when he went to inspect her calf.  You just never know.  I do not go into the ram pasture.  If the rams need working, gates are opened and they find their way to the working pen where they are packed in tight.

He will go into the freezer.  He will be our first lamb to go into the freezer.  I have been building myself up so I will be okay with it.  We have so many sheep now, it is time to start eating the lambs that we do not want to keep or sell as lambs or trophy rams.  

Thanks for the warning.  Hope you knee recovered 100%


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## greenacres (Jul 28, 2011)

Sorry for reviving an older post, but I have a question about the "corrects you all were talking about with the butting.  My Baby Doll ram butts, especially in the AM when I fed everyone, and I am never sure *HOW* to correct him.  I stay away from his face (ie, no nose swats) but what should I be doing to deter him?  I usually don't have a water bucket in my hand, just the grain bucket.  I usually resort to whacking him in the side with my boot, which doesn't seem to help much.  He isn't huge (maybe 80-90 lbs), and he doesn't have horns but when he gets a head of steam he hits pretty hard.  He is really friendly and I think the woman I got him from treated him like a pet dog when he was a lamb (I got him when he was about 8 months old). Thanks for the advice.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jul 29, 2011)

Whenever I get butted by a ram I grab them by the head and turn it (like steer wrasslin') and flop them down on their side. I'll keep them there a few minutes and then let them up.  It seems to make them realize they should quit....but it's not a permanent solution.  

Oh, and I've only had luck with younger rams doing this.  I used to work on a farm with a 300+ lb Montadale ram who was evil come the end of breeding season.  Unless I was REALLY pissed I could not flip him, so I just tried to avoid him as much as possible.  He hurt when he hits!


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## SheepGirl (Jul 29, 2011)

I've had luck with the ram having a collar and just leading him around while I am working in the pasture or pen (such as for feeding). He was close enough to me that he couldn't hit me, so he was never a major issue. Usually an extra large dog collar will work (rams have thick, musclar necks).


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