Ram(s)
BAM(!)Yesterday a lady who runs a petting zoo spoke for Dinah and Barry (YAY!!!). They need a crash course in spoiling to remind them both how much they like to be scritched and I need to scissor-shear Dinah; they will be catching a ride to their new home at OFFF. I am also taking Katie's two boys to OFFF so a perspective buyer can look them over and hopefully choose one. The following week I will pick up that white ewe and ram lamb from Jim Chastain, and hot on the heels of that addition, I will be putting CIDRs in the girls I will be breeding so Barish can get in, do his job, and go home to Everranch.
So this morning while doing chores, all this was running through my mind when I realized just how few days I really have before OFFF! My folks leave tomorrow and WE leave on Thursday for my grandma's birthday celebration. We get back Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday mark the start-up of our church youth group and homeschooling co-op, respectively, and Sunday I'll be at OFFF. AAACK! I decided I'd better pull Barry out of the ram pen today and put him in with the ewes so I could start loving up him and his mama ASAP. That would leave just Blake and Barish in the ram pen, and two is not a good number as testosterone levels rise. So I decided to throw Byz and Bardas in there; after all, there's plenty of room for them to stay out of harm's way. The first thing Bardas did was drop to his knees beside Barish and look for an udder. When he got up, Barish butted him. Instead of backing down, the little knot-head decided to challenge the three-year-old ram! After a few tense moments of watching all this, it was apparent that I was putting Katie's not-quite-four-month-old twins in danger and had to do something. So I waded into the fray and caught Barish (I'll admit it; horns make good handles), and half-pulled, half-carried him to the Ram-ada Inn. Then I went and got Browning so Barish would have some company; Browning's been beating up on Katie anyway, so she'll appreciate the reprieve. After all that I finally trudged up to the house, reeking of ram, sweat and hay.
Who needs to go to a gym?That's it for now from. . .
8 comments:
Very glad not to have all that mess to deal with this year. There is just no reasoning with them! Sounds like you will be a busy bee for awhile. Have fun with it all.
Tammy
Don't our boys smell great this time of year?
I'm so glad too only have wethers. They're just happy to see us walk their way. One of our guild members is coming to OFFF, but having been once, since I have to pick, I'm still BSG directed.
Never a dull moment! I introduced my ram lamb two weeks ago and Flora, my 9yo grand dame, has been butting him from here to Sunday every time she sees him. Luckily, the other three ewes have tired of butt-the-lamb, so he only has to dodge one. Sounds like you had your full workout - cardio/muscle/origami!
I tried putting the two ram lambs I have in with their dad and Sven (aka Mr. Laid-Back)...no sooner than turning my back when dad started to pummel the heck out of the two little boys. Now, they get along just fine in the pasture - Loki even dotes on the youngsters, but get them in HIS territory and it's a different story.
I hate this part of breeding. But when a ram gets a guy down and won't stop the beating, it's time to step in. So, until the boys are sold off, they're in with Uncle Shaun. :(
Have you ever tried to confine them to a smaller space? When I put mine back together after breeding, I take two 8 foot panels and make them a little corner in their larger pen. This corner also contains their water tank, so it is just enough room for them to turn around and lay down, but not enough for them to run at each other. The best they can manage in this situation is to sling their heads at each other. After three days they have become accustomed to each others smells and don't try to fight. It works like a charm. When I had more than two rams, I put down posts, tires, and road cones through the pen so they couldn't get a running go at each other. That worked well too.
Love the rams action shot! And is that an equine hay bag you use as a feeder for the rams? I can't believe I haven't thought of that. The other feeder on the rail is neat, do you have more pictures of it?
Isn't it the pits, Kathy?
Becky, I haven't had much luck with cram-penning; they just seem to go at it again when they get more space.
Yes Karen, that is an old horse hay bag. I have a newer one I like much better, because it has a broad opening (with a nylon-strap grid over it to keep hay in) that allows more to eat from it at a time. I have more photos of the metal feeder on the blog somewhere, from when Rick bought it for me; personally, I like the bags better - they hold a LOT more and they are cheaper!
Post a Comment