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Author Topic: Ram lamb butting  (Read 5760 times)

kanisha

  • Joined Dec 2007
    • Spered Breizh Ouessants
    • Facebook
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2017, 11:40:53 am »
uh oh a fair percentage of my lambs will come over for a "play"  chewing jeans and shoelaces is a favourite.  :sheep: :sheep: I don't discourage it.  Amongst the boys there is usually at least one who will try the head butting game  admittedly my ram lambs are pretty small so i can lean over and swipe their backside just enough to make them back off a little.  it doesn't take more than once or twice for them to realise I am not going to  "play" with them.
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bj_cardiff

  • Joined Feb 2017
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2017, 11:44:42 am »
If he's 2 weeks old isn't he too old to be castrated - unless done by a vet of course? I personally don't castrate anymore, but when I did I did it was when they were between 24hrs and 4 days and even then the lambs would roll around in pain :(

Jukes Mum

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • North Yorkshire
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #17 on: May 23, 2017, 12:54:59 pm »
Quote
I personally don't castrate anymore, but when I did I did it was when they were between 24hrs and 4 days and even then the lambs would roll around in pain
Really? That sounds awful. The worse reaction we have had was a lamb standing stock still looking rather shocked for about 10 seconds.
Don’t Monkey With Another Monkey’s Monkey

bj_cardiff

  • Joined Feb 2017
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2017, 01:59:26 pm »
roll around in pain sounds a bit more dramatic than it should of when I read it back. The lambs would walk off, sit down, get up, walk, lie on their side etc. for 10 - 15 mins. I'd say that they were obviously in pain or a lot of discomfort

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2017, 02:14:59 pm »
My experience is the same as Dukes Mum.

Fieldfare

  • Joined Feb 2011
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #20 on: May 23, 2017, 02:15:48 pm »
Hi Dans- what I would do is reduce your contact with them for a while (don't call mum's in to feed for example, which may be taming their offspring). This should make the lambs a bit more wary of you over time. I would plan to send all ram lambs to slaughter in the autumn. I have done this once or twice, Castlemilks won't make much weight at that age but at least won't be a danger to children and you'll get some meat (you might be able to offer food to build them up in some sort of creep feeder where they cannot work out that you are providing the food?).
Castlemilk wethers can be 'butty' and giddy also at times so castration doesn't always calm them down and I wouldn't ever 100% trust them with children.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #21 on: May 24, 2017, 03:46:30 pm »
If a ram lamb sees you as part of the flock rather than a potential predator then he will always try to dominate.  "Play" butting at such an early age would flag him up for an early trip to the market in my flock.

Dans

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Spalding
    • Six Oaks
    • Facebook
Re: Ram lamb butting
« Reply #22 on: May 28, 2017, 06:45:21 pm »
Well the arm waving seemed to work a little but following it up with me flapping my skirt as I ran around behind him making a ssshhhhh noise seemed to do the trick. It also gave my husband a good chuckle. He still comes to the fence to investigate me but he hasn't butted again and a quick wave of arms and ssshhhhh sound sends him running off again.

He does seem to be a very forward lamb. He is mounting the ewe lambs that are in with him which I figured was normal but he also started sniffing the back end of the other adult ewe that is in with him and making the lip curling face. Is that normal at that age? Do I need to worry that he might mature early?

We put our newly lambed ewes in the field next to the older lambs today. He's already got into a head butting competition with one of them. Her lamb was born bigger than him though so maybe he'LL have competition soon and calm down a bit. He is currently on his own with 2 ewes and 2 ewe lambs.

Dans
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