Rams?? Aptness for aggression by breed?

[bonbean01]

Here's a pic of our ram having a father son talk yesterday...when the weather is good, the ewes and lambs lie down beside him with the fence between them and he hasn't acted stressed at all.

 

[Sheepshape]

I have two Blue Faced Leicester rams (HUGE) and 4 Beulah Speckled Face (local breed,one with large horns).....they are all gentle an trustworthy.....I am in their field twice daily feeding them and I do pet them and hand feed them. I know these rams,though, and would say that these generally are gentle breeds. I have had rams of both breeds in the past who I would NEVER turn my back on.

I think some breeds are much more likely to be gentle , but it is best always to be cautious with rams.

Personally I would get rid of an aggressive ram,but, if he is a guy you wish to breed from, keep him on his own or with other rams and DON"t trust him.

 

[Heather gray]

We just got a Ram shield... but haven't used it yet . Has anyone had some experience with a shield?

 

[PyrOfTheFlock]

Separate him...we are limited in our set up here, so put up fencing within the paddock so that he can have company through the fence. If he rams a pregnant ewe, that is not a good thing. Meant a separate hay feeder, and pellet feeder and water and his own shelter.

I have a Hamp/Suffolk mix and he has never been agressive towards us. But he has started ramming the ewes, not only during feeding time, but sometimes randomly. Not only does he ram them head on while they ram him back but he rams them in the side and this concerns me, could this injure the lambs if the ewes are pregnant? Why would he be ramming them now after being with them for a year? Three of my seven ewes seem to be due within the next month and these are the ones he is ramming, two of them are the dominant ewes of the flock and the third is one of the biggest ewes we have, could that have anything to do with it? We also had a different ram that they could be bred to, could he possibly be able to tell that the lambs aren't his before they've been born? He has always been a docile ram, has not rammed my lgd or anyone who gets near him and still doesn't, it's just the ewes that he is ramming. Basically I want to know why a ram would ever ram a ewe if not for dominance?

 

[SillyChicken]

So for those of you who feel that treatment and raising of rams makes a difference in how they behave, respect us.........what do you do? I just got a little Jacob ram lamb, right now he is totally afraid of us and I have not tried to touch him. I rather he stay afraid rather than get to familiar. But, I will need to handle him a few times a year. He is in with the ewes currently.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I don't ever want a ram that is afraid of me. Respectful, yes, but not afraid. A fearful ram can be just as dangerous as a pushy ram.

I'd start by halter training him. This will get he use to be handled enough that when you need to do something with him, he's easy to move.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

My jacob rams take really well to halter training and I would definitely second that suggestion. They buck like broncos when you first put it on but they learn quickly. I have 7 rams now and they're all gentlemen. Easy to work with, respectful, and they leave me alone when I walk through their pastures.