Fwd: [Jacob-list] Killer Ram

[Katherine Wisor]

I have to agree with Mary Ellen!  Although I never have moved my ram 
Nicholas from the pasture , he is a large Jacob cross  as is his 2 year 
old son, but together they are very protective of the flock.  Often 
they reach a older lamb in trouble before  the mother notices a 
problem.  I spend a great deal of time in the pasture with them ,he 
loves his ears scratched where he can't reach.  BUT if he ever became 
aggressive , EVER  , that would be his last day here on earth.  I have 
to many babies in the pasture include the baby Llamas, not to mention 
the children that visit.   An aggressive animal  here could  cost me 
everything in a law suit, not to mention the vet bills and suffering to 
the other sheep, goats ,llamas etc....
Sorry you have to deal with this!  Katherine    Creeksendfarm at mac.com  
, Charlotte , NC
Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Mary Ellen Hansson" <mhansson1 at triad.rr.com>
> Date: Wed Feb 26, 2003  4:51:56 PM US/Eastern
> To: "'Connie Hackenburg'" <locohack at sunlink.net>, "'jacob list'" 
> <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
> Subject: RE: [Jacob-list] Killer Ram
>
> 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 OfConnie 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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