[Jacob-list] Rams, bees ad infinitum

[SwanCrik at aol.com]

Hey all...
It's not often I even have time to spy on the list conversation but I'm 
chuckling now. Scratching my head too about some of the problems mentioned of late 
with keeping rams. Y'all will probably be shaking yours but ram behavior here 
is rarely a problem and never serious. We run several rams of various ages 
year-round with the flock. In this population, breeding is usually a September 
thing, very occassionally in the spring. It's pretty frisky for three or four 
days but then things are back to normal. Some will be horrified no doubt to 
consider this haphazard line breeding (starting with registered ancestors) but the 
gene pool is truly vast. True, it's nearly impossible to track responsibility 
for offspring without some close observation for a few days but this 
arrangement has served pretty well. Most of the citizens are four horned though 
two-horns do crop up. Rams do crack heads once in a while but this is a lot less 
frequent than your teenagers fight! Horn shape seems to impact outcome more than 
number. All have free range in the woods by day but penned on a half acre in 
the evening there's need for some manners and the rams soon learn that I'm 
serious when I tell them to cool it. Some have learned this with a boot in the 
butt but most learn it vicariously! They're smarter than they look. A swarm of 
bees visited last year and was too easy to hive right there in the yard. I'll 
move 'em to the beeyard when I get time I thought and of course never did. I do 
think a nose or two got stung with sheep grazing right up to the hive but 
sheep do develop respect. Please consider our invitation to share in this fun. 
Being vegetarian and in a pretty urban setting prompts our need to reduce this 
flock. Some very nice Jacobs from Donna Pierson's registered Maple Creek flock. 
Price is really little concern for us so hey...e-mail us here in Tacoma, 
WA......All our best.... Jeff&Suellen    
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