[Jacob-list] Outcast ewe

[ARTHUR PARTRIDGE]

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>Three of the 5 ewes are really aggressive towards her 

>- and one of them is her mother. I don't quite understand why the three 

>ewes are so intolerant of her. She's a very timid ewe (around other 

>sheep - friendly with people) and it might be that she just doesn't 

>stand up for herself. Any suggestions?

> 

>Linda

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Hi Linda,
    Reminds me of a similar situation, except these are two adult wethers,
two castrated rams, and a ram.  I had an 'outcast wether'.  A lady brought
back a two-yr-old wether that she had raised as a bottle-baby.  The 'boys'
were very aggressive towards this wether.  He was timid too, perhaps from
being a bottle baby and raised around humans.  A human analogy would be
like putting a gay guy in with a bunch of skin heads.  I realized that they
wouldn't accept this new addition so I planned to take him to the butchers.
Then one day I came home and he was lying dead in the paddock.  Murdered!! 
I think I know who did it, he seemed to be the most aggressive towards this
sheep.  It wasn't the ram or castrated rams, it was one of the adult
wethers.  At least I think I know who did it, but I wasn't there.  Maybe
they all ganged up on him.  Looked like a broken neck and death had been
recent so I was able to quickly take him to the butchers and save the meat.
I will never put a bottle-baby wether in with rams/wethers again.

Hope this doesn't happen in your case.  Maybe ewes aren't  murderers.  I
think in my case, the other sheep could sense that there was something very
different about this wether.  Being a bottle baby and in close contact with
humans made him different.  In your case, I don't know why the ewes are
aggressive towards the one ewe.  I just hope it doesn't end up tragically. 
I am interested in finding out what happens.  Could ewes act the same way
as these rams/wethers??   

Cathy
Moscow, Idaho