[Jacob-list] (no subject)

[Linda]

I had a ram like that.  He was pretty good until he turned two.  He had, in his growing up years, made threatening 
moves towards me.  I kept throwing water in his face until he quit that behaviour.  But, he then got more and more 
aggressive towards any structure.   You couldn't even walk by outside the fence if you were carrying a board without 
him charging the fence.  He wouldn't charge people walking by unless they were carrying something.  He put holes in 
every wall he could reach.  I made him a special shelter where he didn't have access to the sides.  It had a low roof 
and he began to charge the roof.  That was a sight. He spent his last few months with us standing in the rain.  He was 
with his ewes when the behaviour started, so I can't say that he was bored or lonely.  He managed to tear one of the 
doors off the trailer on the way to the butcher.  Then managed to knock a board almost off the bull pen at the 
butchers.

I wish I could come up with a remedy other than mine.  This ram got progressively worse.  I got him soccer balls to 
beat up on, threw in metal garbage cans for him to vent on, nothing ever did even slow him down.  

Just a note:  I have not seen a higher percentage of aggressive behaviour in his descendants.  In fact, some have been 
among the mellowest.

Linda

On Thu, 09 Dec 2004 13:06:11 -0500, Donnangelo,Nicholas C. wrote:
>My wife and I have a small flock of one breeding group so we generally
>separate the ram from the ewes in September (we are in northern Virginia) and
>keep the ram with the ewes until lambing when we remove him again for a month
>or so.   Anyway our ram - who is now running with the ewes has become
>increasingly destructive; butting our run in shed until one of the 4x4
>uprights was actually broken and the structure near collapse.  I repaired that
>and now he knocked a hole in the plywood wall of the shed.  There is no sign
>of aggression to any of the other Jacobs, or two full size donkey's we run
>with them (although he will take hay from the donkey's at will; they'll pin
>their ears at him but he is clearly top dog), or with us.  Horses will get
>into trouble if they are bored...  has anyone else had this problem?
>recommendations?  Thanks Nick
>
>
>
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