[Jacob-list] EEK! Will they RAM the house??

[Alan J Kramer]

After reading your question, I had to stop and share a story about rams and the
house.  We had sold a young ram to a friend.  At the time, she had no other sheep.
She then got a couple of ewes.  The ram bred one of them and while she enjoyed the
lamb, she decided she didn't want to increase her herd.  So fall time comes and the
ewes are in season.  To separate the ram from the girls, she puts him in the yard.
While she was off to work, the ram climbed the stairs to her deck and saw himself in
the glass sliding doors.  He obviously had quit the duel with his reflections as the
glass was shattered in a million pieces and the door frame was bent.  Having
defeated his foe, the ram took on the new territory of the house.  Needless to say,
when she got home to this scene, her first course of action was to bring the ram
back to me.  What a mess he had made as he checked out each room!!!!  He now resides
in a pen with other rams and behaves himself.  But I will not give him another
opportunity at a glass door!!!!!

Rams do love to ram.  They will also eat flowers and bushes, especially if you are
particularly fond of a specific bush.  I try to keep my sheep where they can only
get to what I want them to have access to.

Mary
Triple Seven Livestock
Evanston, WY

Gary Tomas Fay wrote:

> I have seen my ewes head butting each other to establish order / hierarchy. I
> would plan for the unexpected.
>
> Gary
>
> honeybucket at attbi.com wrote:
>
> > It's always good to plan ahead!  I have found that only
> > the rams ram!  In our case it has been metal barn doors
> > and fence posts that have suffered.  None of our trees
> > seem much the worse for wear from the sheep.  Our
> > llamas, on the other hand, have occasionally eaten some
> > bark.  In fact, I have seen other llamas eat ALL the
> > bark from trees, but only when they have been severely
> > deprived of adequate pasture and other edibles.  I have
> > always appreciated that both the Jacobs and the llamas
> > like blackberries and will eat them back over time.
> > Much easier than other methods!  Now, if you have
> > flowerbeds or shrubs you like next to the house where
> > the sheep will be, I would advise reconsidering your
> > fencing plans!
> > Good luck!  In my opinion, having these great animals
> > just outside windows enhances the ability to enjoy them!
> > Patty
> > > YIkes! My husband and I are still discussing the pros and cons of getting a
> > > few (3) jacob sheep. We were talking about fencing and suddenly he said,
> > > "Will they RAM THE HOUSE?"....
> > >
> > > Now the way we had it planned until he came up with this rather important
> > > question was that some of the area they will be "mowing" is adjacent to the
> > > house....(and some windows that are head/horn height)
> > >
> > > So the question is - will they ram the house and/or the barn? Will they look
> > > in the windows and try to ram the "other sheep" there like the current
> > > suicidal cardinal who has been ramming the glass for a month non-stop...
> > >
> > > Keep in mind that they will have tons of rocks and trees to ram to their
> > > hearts content - they won't just be in a treeless open pasture but rather in
> > > a wooded lot with lots of grass and trees and rocks and weeds and blackberry
> > > bushes and grapevines and all that scrubby stuff.
> > >
> > > Do they tend to be perverse and choose the garage doors or the windows if
> > > available or would they tend to avoid the house?
> > >
> > > Can they fitted with invisible fence collars like dogs?
> > >
> > > ALso, do they eat the bark off trees like deer? Or just ram it off....
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance for any input on this rather important question. I would
> > > rather have considered this stuff and fenced in advance than end up with a
> > > damaged sheep or house....
> > >
> > > (the house is brick but the garage doors are metal)
> > >
> > > Frances
> > >
> > >
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