Author Topic: Sheep Behaviour (Read 4586 times)

squeasy · « **on:** March 08, 2012, 08:05:23 pm »

Millie, one of my heavily pregnant Soay sheep has for the past five days been acting like a ram!! We have two gimmer Mules and they are in the same field, and Millie is constantly trying to tup them. She even went as far as getting on Cappuccino's back today! Is this normal behaviour from a very pregnant sheep?

Rosemary · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2012, 08:07:40 pm »

Hormones

Ours do it in play - may be a dominance thing, but it's mainly the ewe lambs mesing about.

rikkib · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2012, 08:30:39 pm »

hi excuse my computer skills to old to learn and not enough time to do it anyway re sheep behaviour we have 4 soay ewes ,(hogs) constantly trying to tup each other think they have been watching the goats or maybe the bunnies on the same paddock

jaykay · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2012, 08:35:44 pm »

It's a dominance thing, quite a lot of animals do it. Silly sheep though, jumping about when that heavy

squeasy · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2012, 08:41:50 pm »

Quote from: rikkib on March 08, 2012, 08:30:39 pm

hi excuse my computer skills to old to learn and not enough time to do it anyway re sheep behaviour we have 4 soay ewes ,(hogs) constantly trying to tup each other think they have been watching the goats or maybe the bunnies on the same paddock

Welcome to the forum! Your computer skills are great. Thank you for your feedback, the soays were in with the ram until last weekend and he was getting very frisky with them as they getting closer to lambing - so she obviously thought she would try it.

squeasy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2012, 08:42:48 pm »

Thank you Rosemary and JayKay

I thought it probably was hormones and dominance (she is the bossy one!) but wanted to make sure! I just need them to lamb now so I can get some sleep

Fleecewife · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2012, 11:20:06 pm »

As the tup has just come out, the ewes will need to re-establish their pecking order and this is how they do it. She is not actually trying to tup the other ewes, or even copying the tup, but just following normal ewe behaviour in an all-female group.
Don't worry about her jumping about - once she feels too heavy she will stop

Remy · « **Reply #7 on:** March 09, 2012, 08:26:07 am »

My ewes do this, pregnant or not - they also butt each other like rams do, although maybe not quite so hard!

. They seem to do it more in spring, and some do it more than others

in the hills · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2012, 08:54:32 am »

Hi

Mine did too, about this time last year and have also had spells of butting each other quite aggressively. Think like everyone else that they are just sorting out their ranks within the group. They have also had spells of running from one end of the paddock to the other and back again, at speed and for no apparent reason! Also like running and jumping in the air, especially when its windy. Ha Ha ....bit crazy these soay