Author Topic: "Butty' rams (Read 10423 times)

Brijjy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2012, 02:29:17 pm »

My first Wiltshire ram we bought as a lamb and for the first year he was fine. Second year was a different story. He was dangerous. He knocked my mum down and did the same to me a couple of weeks later. I had to grab hold of him and drag him to a shed and shut him in as he was going to go for me again. Needless to say he went soon after. The current ram is last years lamb and so far is ok. However he does "look" at you in the same way as the old one did. I shake my stick at him and scare him off. The same will happen to him if he becomes nasty.

suziequeue · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2012, 02:37:14 pm »

I'm just thinking that there may be an alternative market for those antler hats you see in the shops around Christmas time

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2012, 03:54:39 pm »

Quote from: suziequeue on March 28, 2012, 02:37:14 pm

I'm just thinking that there may be an alternative market for those antler hats you see in the shops around Christmas time

I have a permanent and often painful lump on my back from being knocked headlong - twice - by a lovely Blue-faced Leicester tup who just wanted what was in the bucket I was carrying.

I spent a very scary hour getting myself back from a mile out on the moorland in the darkening time one cold and wet night with what I thought was a broken leg - Swaledale tup with sawn-off horns, my own fault this time.

Our Charollais tup arrived as a very over-friendly and greedy ram lamb. Shouting and leaning over him showing him how much bigger than him you are seems to have worked - plus he's been tipped up a few times to have his feet seen to.

I never ever ever turn my back on any of our tups now.

I may invest in a water pistol - I like the sound of that one!

fifixx · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2012, 07:38:02 pm »

i'm reading this as i have a butty billy - and his horns are positioned exactly to go into an artery in the leg!

I'll try the water pistol - I don't want to be aggressive as they can sense that and do it right back.

Bangbang · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2012, 07:54:24 pm »

Brucklay used the ' waving here stick at his feet' technique tonight and it worked
a treat...Mortimers ego hurt so he went back to demolishing his Dome shelter.

It worked - she didn't touch him once...

cheers woollyval

Remy · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2012, 08:13:07 pm »

Well coincidentally I had a perfect length of blue plastic piping that has been sitting on my yard for several months after a friend had replaced some hosing - now I had the perfect use for it!

I went into the rams' field this afternoon with my pipe and Buster (the butty ram) started his usual tricks despite me not having food or anything remotely interesting for him. He came towards me head down and I whacked him on the knees with said pipe - wow, amazing transformation, he backed right off and I only had to smack the pipe on my leg for him to keep away.

RESULT!!

thanks woolleyval

in the hills · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2012, 10:01:02 pm »

Our Soay ram has been on loan to us and should have been with us until June but his owner is kindly taking him back early ...... tomorrow. He has become a bit of a handful. Was worried that we had done something wrong but sounds as though some rams are just difficult. He is just very pushy and bolshy ...... waves leg, scrapes ground, always waiting for you at the gate, running up close behind you and on a couple of occasions giving OH a good butt when feeding. Someone mentioned dogs .....well keep my big retriever safely out of the rams way. He has butted him a couple of times really hard .... its dog worrying here and not sheep worrying! Have started to carry a stick for self protection in case he decided to follow through with one of his charges. Must admit have waved it at him and shouted in an attempt to deter him but it just causes more confrontation. OH has turned him over and this has probably been most effective but not stopped his behaviour.

Are some rams easier than this or is this normal and something that just has to be managed?

Investing in the blue piping for next year.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #22 on:** March 28, 2012, 11:24:17 pm »

Soay tups are a bit different. In their natural habitat ie living on an island without human supervision, numbers of males to females are roughly equal. Tups have a rut like deer and fight to defend their harem of females. So fighting and defending territory is a natural and essential part of a successful tups life. Soays have not lived in a domestic environment for many generations so their behaviour has not been much modified. Most other breeds have been domesticated for many generations, even centuries, being given a harem they don't have to fight for or defend, so they are less aggressive than Soays.
Small though they are, Soay tups don't seem to realise they are the smallest chaps around and they are completely fearless in a fight - usually started by them.
Presumably as part of their environment, a Soay tup will see you as something else to beat up. We have had some ok Soay tups and some aggressive wee devils over the years, but mostly they have restricted their aggression to other tups.

Sylvia · « **Reply #23 on:** March 29, 2012, 08:27:46 am »

I kept Friesland milking sheep for many years and found that the outsretched arm, with the hand in a fist kept even the most aggresive ram at bay(makes your arm ache though

) I do stand my opinion that a truly dangerous ram should not be kept. Anyone can trip and fall when walking backwards as happened to a lady on Dartmoor years ago. She was killed!

Remy · « **Reply #24 on:** March 29, 2012, 08:51:20 am »

I guarantee Sylvia that if I did this to my little ram he would butt my fist

. We were putting up a sheep shelter in their paddock, and had leant a spade up against the shelter - he started butting that!

I will see how he gets on, he is a nice looking ram and if he respects the pipe, no problem!

SteveHants · « **Reply #25 on:** March 29, 2012, 12:40:21 pm »

Quote from: Brijjy on March 28, 2012, 02:29:17 pm

My first Wiltshire ram we bought as a lamb and for the first year he was fine. Second year was a different story. He was dangerous. He knocked my mum down and did the same to me a couple of weeks later. I had to grab hold of him and drag him to a shed and shut him in as he was going to go for me again. Needless to say he went soon after. The current ram is last years lamb and so far is ok. However he does "look" at you in the same way as the old one did. I shake my stick at him and scare him off. The same will happen to him if he becomes nasty.

Wilts tups need to fear you. Mine will come to a bucket, but he knows I'm 'scary'. I find the presence of a dog puts em off too.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #26 on:** March 29, 2012, 12:50:54 pm »

Quote from: SteveHants on March 29, 2012, 12:40:21 pm

I find the presence of a dog puts em off too.

Just a word of caution... both tups and ewes (especially ewes with lambs at foot) may butt at the dog and fail to notice that you are between them and the dog...

tom25car · « **Reply #27 on:** April 09, 2012, 11:52:33 pm »

a nice long length of alkathene piping should solve your problems:)

tom25car · « **Reply #28 on:** April 10, 2012, 12:00:00 am »

On the same line as people have mentioned though, last year i had a blue leicester manage to put me through a gate when he escaped, i have a young collie bitch who is fearless, he got halfway down the road and attempted to butt her a few times, she gave him a good few grips and snaps and he wasnt long running back to where he come from with her snapping at his arse! -- while i tried to gain some composure with a face covered in blue tup marker!!