[Jacob-list] Killer Ram

[Mary Ellen Hansson]

Sounds like a 22 would be as good for him.  This would be one example of
why many breeders will not have a ram in a field with ewes except during
breeding season.  Any ram, though, that gets aggressive with ewes even
during breeding season is earmarked immediately for "the Bosnians"---aka
MEAT.  They are worthless, and I have often seen quite aggressive ram
lambs out of them.
 
ISeeSpots Farm www.iseespots.com
Jacob Sheep, Fiber, Spinning equipment,
Books, Patterns, Knitting/Crochet/Tatting
 
-----Original Message-----
From: jacob-list-admin at jacobsheep.com
[mailto:jacob-list-admin at jacobsheep.com] On Behalf Of Connie Hackenburg
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 4:37 PM
To: jacob list
Subject: [Jacob-list] Killer Ram
 
Hello All,
 I don't participate much with the list, but am always interested in
reading your stories.  
I am writing with this information to see if any of you have ever
experienced this terrible event.
 We have Jacob and some crossbred sheep. A samll flock of 10 ewes and a
ram. The ram is now probably 6 yrs old and I am always very aware where
he is when I am in the field. He has never to this day really been
aggressive towards us except when cornered and I consider that
acceptable.
 On Sat night after participating with a group of brownies and their
thinking day I came home to find one of my crossbred ewes down in their
shelter unable to get up. She appeared to have some bloody discharge, so
I felt she may be delivering her lambs. After observing for a while and
nothing really progressing I began to worry she may have been laboring
earlier and was just tired. I proceeded to check her to see if we were
having lambing. She was not even dilated a bit and then noticed she was
very swollen by her udder. This was all by flashlight.
The ram was being very protective of her and I really didn't think that
to be all bad.
We brought her up into the shed where there was light and checked her
over.  
 The swelling was not her udder, but the very soft area in the front of
the udder and part way up her belly. Could her broad ligament have torn?
  I gave her some vitamin B, Propylene Glycol, and some electrolytes.
She really didn't seem sick, she was just unable to get up. 
 The next day the area that was swollen had turned all purple, an
obvious  bad bruise.  
Thinking maybe the ram had maybe done this when she was unable to get up
didn't thrill me, but possibly a survival measure if he felt she were
being threatened by the others.  
  Today when I went out to the field to feed the group I noticed the ram
had blood on his horns. Allot of blood!!! It was bright red, so I knew
it was fresh. As I fed and watched the sheep around me I noticed two
lambs with a small amount of blood smeared on their heads. The came
across two large puddles of blood!!!! It was like a story from the
twilight zone as I kept searching as to where all of it came from. 
  Then, there it was, in the small shelter lay one of my purebred ewes
with her udder bruised purple and in a very distressed.
She had been perfectly healthy yesterday with two lambs that are 6 weeks
old. 
 I went to get help to get her up and until we got back down  she had
died. 
I have removed the ram from the pasture and now put 100% of the blame on
him.
Do any of you have any input about this. He is now destin   for dog food
unless someone can  give me a good story why not. 
Thanks, Connie
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