Author Topic: What feed for bucket training rams/wethers? (Read 2288 times)

NewLifeOnTheFarm · « **on:** October 18, 2018, 12:47:46 pm »

As title says really, what's best to rattle and safe to eat?

I have a entire ram lamb who will be going for meat shortly and a wether, then borrowing a ram so want to keep him occupied while the ladies are eating
Thanks

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** October 18, 2018, 01:44:10 pm »

Do not hand or bucket feed any males that will be staying more than a month at most. They will get too big and boisterous and become dangerous - especially any with testicles, but wethers will too.

The owner of the ram will not thank you for teaching his tup to come to a bucket.

Use feed on the ground to teach any sheep to come where you want them. A Tup and Lamb mix is safe for all stock, as is grass pellets. (Might need to moisten grass pellets until they are used to them.)

Can’t your ladies eat an all stock ration while the tup is with them? Then he can just eat with them.

NewLifeOnTheFarm · « **Reply #2 on:** October 18, 2018, 02:38:24 pm »

Ok, will bear that in mind thanks. Problem is going to be moving them around the farm to get them to the fields they need to go to? They are Shetlands. The ewes follow me no problem, but think the boys will be a different issue.

bj_cardiff · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2018, 03:17:43 pm »

I would use ewe nuts without any hesitation. To move my sheep I rattle a bucket and then let the rams have a couple of mouthfuls (they are always first in the que) and then hold the bucket high and they follow me. I understand that some people have had problems with that, but any aggression has been met with a slap on the nose from day one and if I feel they are getting too boisterous I just hold an open palm to their face and they back off. I have never been butted by them or any of their predecessors.

I'm just wondering why your feeding the ewes? If they are in lamb they probably won't need feeding until a couple of weeks before lambing, if your short of grass your better off providing hay and then once a week or so give them a few nuts to just keep them tame.

landroverroy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2018, 03:59:45 pm »

As the food is just to get the sheep to follow you to another field, you can use anything that they like. I use chopped up carrots at this time of year which shake nicely in a bucket. However, if you frequently go into the field, call the sheep and give them a treat eg carrots, apple pieces, a few stock nuts in your hand, then they will come to call anyway and readily follow you and you only need to dole out a few treats at a time.

NewLifeOnTheFarm · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2018, 04:05:10 pm »

Quote from: bj_cardiff on October 18, 2018, 03:17:43 pm

I would use ewe nuts without any hesitation. To move my sheep I rattle a bucket and then let the rams have a couple of mouthfuls (they are always first in the que) and then hold the bucket high and they follow me. I understand that some people have had problems with that, but any aggression has been met with a slap on the nose from day one and if I feel they are getting too boisterous I just hold an open palm to their face and they back off. I have never been butted by them or any of their predecessors.

I'm just wondering why your feeding the ewes? If they are in lamb they probably won't need feeding until a couple of weeks before lambing, if your short of grass your better off providing hay and then once a week or so give them a few nuts to just keep them tame.

The ram is staying with us potentially until lambing due to people we are borrowing him off moving, so just thinking ahead for the last few weeks. He is very friendly already so hopefully will have no issues. I would definitely employ same tactics for maintaining discipline, same with the ponies! They need to know who is boss!

I'm not one for giving treats so if my ewes are anything to go by they soon get out of habit of coming everytime they see me!

twizzel · « **Reply #6 on:** October 18, 2018, 06:58:10 pm »

I use a lamb coarse mix for my rams. As long as it’s got amonium chloride in then it’s suitable for rams. Mine come to a bucket, simply because I don’t have a dog and need to move them about the farm regularly. It also makes raddle changes easy in the field rather than running tups into the shed, and I can catch them in the field easily too. They know the boundaries though and will step away if I ask them to. There’s a healthy respect from both of us.