[smee2012]

OK, so our loan tup arrived today and he's gone in with our four girls (having put the meat wethers in a separate paddock). They all seemed very interested in one another and he wasted no time at all in getting frisky. Having not actually witnessed sheep mating behaviour before, I was wondering what a tup's normal behaviour towards new ladies was? He's doing the lip curling/smelling behaviour (flehmen?) that I know a lot of species do but he's also coming along side them, flicking his tongue in and out (Hannibal Lector style) and then either head butting them really hard or giving them a good kick in the stomach with his front leg. Is that the usual 'flirting' behaviour in a tup? Seems to me that if some bloke tried that on with me, I'd slap his face and possibly kick him in the wotsits  !!

[Big Benny Shep]

yep, the lip curling and kicking is normal, mine dont tend to butt too much, but as long as he isnt hurting the ewes they should be fine

[Hillview Farm]

Hello 

I am like you, not really seen the behaviour as I send my ewes off. I visited my ewes today and a ram was mating with one of my ewes and before he hopped on he would gently kick her in her lady area!!!

I would have defo given him a slap!

[Marches Farmer]

Some spend more time courting than others. Our Southdowns are quite polite but I couldn't tell you what the Badger Face are like as in ten years I've never seen the ram in action!

[in the hills]

Our Soay tups did the lip curling and followed the girls attentively when they were nearly ready.


No kicking or butting though .... probably knew that these girls were far too feisty to put up with that.

[Graemscifi]

sounds like true love to me. .

[Hillview Farm]

Sounds like a typical man to me....

[daveh]

In the past few days I have put a hired ram in with my four Castlemilk Moorit ewes. Byron as he is known, has been doing the lip curling and sniffing. I give my ewes a handful of pellets every day to keep them tame and coming into a pen. This has been especially useful recently as the girls lead the ram in and I am able to seperate him and put some raddle paste on. However, Byron has been less than a gentleman with the food, on one occasion butting one of the girls over. Today, Anthea the lead ewe, butted him back. It would seem that the sheep way of pulling a girl differs from my experience. I've always found that plying a lady with tasty titbits and strong drink works best.
Regards, David

[Pedwardine]

Really funny thread 

[ScotsGirl]

    All very natural behaviour for rams (and so true about men too!!) my ram also forgets his manners when it comes to food. I do however have one young ewe, Wiltshire Horn, who seems to like a bit of foreplay and bests he'll out the ram before sticking her bum in his face!!

[devonlad]

sounds familiar to me- our Wiltshire horn loanee seems to have the full range of foreplay activity, licking, butting, chasing etc. great fun to watch and only feels ever so slightly wrong .Our neighbour knocked at the door last night to ask if I knew why her white cat was sporting a blue back. Options are either that he rolled where I spilled a bit of raddle paste in the field, or .......................... well he is white.