Ram Thoughts

[Beekissed]

Found a cool article you may want to bookmark that is relevant to the subject matter:

ToughLove for Rams

 

[WolfeMomma]

Im pretty sure the neighbors think im crazy because of all the screaming I did. My husband has flipped him in the past but I dont know if i have the upper body strength to flip him, he is 200lbs. The only thing i had to protect my self was a pitch fork. I will say, I dont believe any of this is his fault. He was treated like a sheep at his breeders, dam raised ect. We loved on him way to much when he came here, now he has no fear of us. He is a year old in Feb so hopefully I'm not to late to fix this. I never heard anything bad about his sire. So i don't believe this is caused by genetics per say.
If nothing else I have learned the hard way why they say you do NOT befriend your ram. You get a 200lb bully who won't stop ramming I was hardly able to get out of his darn pen.

 

[WolfeMomma]

Found a cool article you may want to bookmark that is relevant to the subject matter:

ToughLove for Rams

Wonderful article! thank you for sharing. It has definitely given me some ideas Im going to show it to hubby as well.

 

[Baymule]

I had a mean ram but he was scared of plastic grocery bags. I flapped it at him and chased him. We declared an uneasy truce. He still popped me when he got the chance. He became ramburger and was quite tasty. LOL So use your ram until it is time to change and get another, then enjoy him for supper. If your family likes round steak, chicken fried, have the leg of lamb sliced into steaks and tenderized. That’s my new chicken fried steak!

 

[WolfeMomma]

I had a mean ram but he was scared of plastic grocery bags. I flapped it at him and chased him. We declared an uneasy truce. He still popped me when he got the chance. He became ramburger and was quite tasty. LOL So use your ram until it is time to change and get another, then enjoy him for supper. If your family likes round steak, chicken fried, have the leg of lamb sliced into steaks and tenderized. That’s my new chicken fried steak!

That sounds delicious! Im not a huge fan of lamb, but my husband is. I will have to tell him about that! I love chicken fried steak though so maybe I would like that

 

[Baymule]

I also have ground meat made into sausage. Why didn't I think of that long before now? By the time you are ready for a new ram, yours will be several years old. The meat won't be as tender as a younger lamb, it will still be good, just not as tender. I am culling a 3 year old ewe when I take lambs to slaughter and I'm having her made into sausage and tenderized round steak. The ground meat makes awesome tacos and enchiladas, the sausage makes the best lasagna! Leg of lamb takes a back seat to tenderized chicken fried round steak! YUMMY! You got to try it!

OK, you learned from this ram. Do not consider it a failure because you learned. I have certainly made my mistakes too, but with each one, I learned from it. Big hugs to you, you are a great shepherdess!

 

[wolf]

Ram behavior, is it genetic or do you think the way that you raised them dictates their behavior ( good or bad) or maybe both?
Even if your ram comes from friendly blood lines , does that mean he has a higher chance of behaving like a gentleman? Is there hope
for a ram who comes from lines where personality was not top priority? Thoughts?

I think once the testosterone starts flooding, there's a pretty good chance they turn into bungholes. Many will use different tactics - the ones that seem to be gentlemen may be just evaluating their chances. The ones who come straight at you right away, you think are jerks, but some sit back and "figger" on a good tactic - usually how to get in a sucker-punch when you least expect it. My current ram is this way. Thought I was blessed with a gentleman ram - but he was really just watching and planning like a good chess player! He finally decided a sucker-punch was the best move, and will sneak around the shed or around a bunch of trees quiet as a cat, and hit me from behind. So I belled him. That worked for awhile. Then he decided to act all placid, trun suddenly and charge me - so the bell wouldn't sound long enough for me to take evasive measures. So I ended up with a Ram Shield from Premier. Works like a charm!

 

[Baymule]

@wolf I have a mental picture of you and your ram playing sneaky ram slam! LOL LOL Post a picture of this conniving chess player!

 

[Mini Horses]

Definitely a mix of nature and nurture.

Sadly we played and loved on ours way to much, and now he is becoming a bit aggressive

I believe both but, handling seals the deal, IMO.

Most all young males need to be taught excellent ground manners!! It's true with all of them, although rams seem to have more intensity with the "ramming". Goat bucks don't generally charge at a run like sheep but seem to prefer the stand up and slam. Any here get collar broke as young ones to lead and stand, be handled and reprimanded fast if they fight the program.. It works. They learn respect (and some fear). My attitude is far larger than theirs.

I've raised goats and horses -- same issues, they MUST respect your space and commands. I have more issues with an occasional rooster, LOL...but, only once.

 

[WolfeMomma]

He is a good boy under halter, he will stand and walk nice beside you, he shows really well. There is no issue with him untill you are in the pasture with him without him being tied up. Once he is free its just constant ramming, to me, the dog..ugh