[Jacob-list] aggressive ewe

[Gillian Fuqua]

	It is interesting that folks are writing in about butting rams because 
I have been having concerns about one of my ewes.  I do not keep a ram 
so there is no boy energy around.  Anyhow, Annabelle, who is 3 1/2, has 
been chasing around my one remaining yearling.  I did not breed anyone 
this year.  Annabelle has been bred twice and both times she was 
somewhat more aggressive and I just chalked it up to being grumpy due 
to pregnancy.  Anyhow, she is chasing around Baby, the yearling, and 
Dinah, Baby's mother is doing serious defense.  This AM Dinah had a 
broken horn, it must have been quite a whack to break off an adult 
horn.  Annabelle had the telltale blood on her forehead.
	I am wondering if she is getting more aggressive because now that it 
is winter, they are in the winter paddock and I shut them in the barn 
at night because the electric fence is down.  My other theory is that 
maybe she is more aggressive because of the grain that she gets to 
supplement hay.  This year was a bad one for hay so the girls are 
getting more grain than they have in the past so that I can stretch my 
hay.   Thoughts?

	These ram tales make me feel good about my decision to not have one.

Gillian