[Jacob-list] Fw: butting rams

[Linda]

I agree - some rams butt anything they can and some don't.  Some butt in the fall before being put in with the ewes and 
some don't.  Some are bossy with the ewes and some aren't.  Some calm down with breeding and some get worse.  There 
seems to be a rather large range of personalities in rams.  My experience coincides with Mary Ellen's - the ones that 
are prone to butting butt all year long under pretty much all conditions.  But, Groucho did butt the domes - he was 
quite the special boy - and tasty. 

I don't particularly care to have an aggressive ram around, but we do put up with them (briefly)  if I like the ram 
enough. They are, after all, a primitive breed where survival traits might be stronger than in more improved breeds.  
While I don't want to live with the behaviour for long, I am not sure that I want to cull based on behaviour alone.

 It seems that rams that are born and grow up here seldom show aggression while they are here.  Perhaps they learn 
early who's boss around here?  Or maybe I just decide the more aggressive ram lambs look tastier when we're loading up 
freezer lambs?  

I've had some rams that would spend hours bashing big trees - non stop.  All night long we could hear the thump, over 
and over.  Mad Max only hit trees - but he seldom stopped.  He hit me once and then he stopped.  Groucho never hit 
trees - only structures (and never me).  

These sheep have such strong personalities, they are always fun to watch.

Linda

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 07:54:28 -0800 (PST), Mary Hansson wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I wouldn't necessarily agree with Betty B's assessment.  My experience with
>butting rams is that they do it whether they are WITH ewes during breeding
>season or WITHOUT ewes (and out of smell range) outside of breeding season. In
>short, they do this 12 months out of the year WHEN THEY ARE PRONE TO BUTTING.
>They pick any pliable target, and trees to give a bit.  The domes don't seem
>to interest them.
>
>I have been blessed with a whole bunch of rams the last 2-3 years that have
>not butted on anything.  The one that did butt (would back up and hit anything
>for the fun of it) was a nasty-natured thing that was sold with buyer beware
>stated very clearly before purchase.
>
>I am not sure whether to pat myself on the back for selecting such good boys,
>or whether to just chalk it up to luck.  My best guess is the last.
>
>Mary Ellen

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