Author Topic: Tups (Read 7471 times)

Castle Farm · « **Reply #15 on:** October 27, 2014, 03:09:38 pm »

I run 2 tups with my ewes.

They go in on the 5 th of November for an April lambing. They run with the ewes right through the winter and I only take them out when I wean the tup lambs next summer and they stay in with the ram lambs until the ram lambs go off, which will be on the 4th of november.

No problems at all with this method. Ram lambs don't fight (I don't castrate) as the big boys keep the peace.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #16 on:** October 27, 2014, 03:30:50 pm »

Depends on the tup. I've known tups penned together so tightly they couldn't turn around and they still managed to do serious damage to each other. Tups tend to get more aggressive as they age. Might be OK if you keep them out of sight, smell and sound of the ewes for most of the year but, particularly with a horned breed, you could get all kinds of, literally, bloody trouble. Don't forget a ram's skull is six times as thick as a human skull and they can sprint at 30 mph for short distances.

Ladygrey · « **Reply #17 on:** October 27, 2014, 05:14:00 pm »

Quote from: Marches Farmer on October 27, 2014, 03:30:50 pm

Depends on the tup. I've known tups penned together so tightly they couldn't turn around and they still managed to do serious damage to each other. Tups tend to get more aggressive as they age. Might be OK if you keep them out of sight, smell and sound of the ewes for most of the year but, particularly with a horned breed, you could get all kinds of, literally, bloody trouble. Don't forget a ram's skull is six times as thick as a human skull and they can sprint at 30 mph for short distances.

Yes sometimes they will still fight even if cooped up tight, I had a horned (shetland) ram break another rams pelvis last year, fortunately all of the tups we have now are polled and seem to fight or bother eachother less then when we had horned tups

beagh-suffolks · « **Reply #18 on:** October 27, 2014, 10:14:42 pm »

i have 3 tups and a teaser..they all just live together in my neighbors garden along with his 5 tups! and on the off season im normally showing them

waterbuffalofarmer · « **Reply #19 on:** October 30, 2014, 08:30:37 am »

I always put my tup in with ram lambs over or young rams away from ewes in summer.
Hope this helps.

Hellybee · « **Reply #20 on:** October 30, 2014, 10:34:18 am »

Ours have run with ram lambs in the past on they're down time and they were very good. They otherwise live in they're little group of three, they're two brothers and a year older brother so are very tight.