# Taming a ram



## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I recently bought a ram lamb. He is going on 4 months old & is close to 100 lbs. What is the best way to tame him? Not wanting him to be a pet, but tame enough that I can handle him. Right now he tries to jump about 6' in the air trying to get away when I try to catch him. He is stalled right now. I'm afraid if I let him out to pasture I'll never catch him again. Here's a picture of him.


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

I'd be cautious about "taming" him as he may become a hazard in the future if he isn't wary of you. Perhaps getting him used to being fed a treat in the catch pen would do you well. My sheep all come running to a rattling bucket. Once in the pen the gate gets slammed shut and we can catch and work with them fairly easily.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Is it possible to get him a buddy to hang with, a wether or another ram lamb ?


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

If he's quiet enough to handle he'll be confident enough to slam you into the ground or the nearest fence. There's the odd quiet ram out there but they are few and far between and yours doesn't sound as though he's going to be one of them. 

I am not a fan of feeding rams from a bucket as they see any bucket you may be carrying as a treat source and the outcome can be pretty nasty too. If possible keep him with a weather or two and then draft him off through your yards when you need to use him. A good dog helps  

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Paula (Jun 3, 2002)

I was thinking from the pic that he's already too tame.
Rams are dangerous, we've only ever had one who I didn't feel like I had to watch every second when he was around, and he was ancient and arthritic. Now we haven't had every breed of course so some may be worse than others. 

I take that back, we had a Barbado Black Belly once who I wasn't too scared of b/c he was so terrified of us he took off with the sheep every time we came near. Couldn't be tricked with feed to be caught even. Don't know how people work with those things, though I can see the appeal, they're beautiful. Oh, and they jump really high too  

The best you can do has already been suggested - feed him in a catch pen. You don't need to walk around shaking a bucket, he'll learn to come to the sound of the feed hitting the pan. Makes you less of a target.

Please never take him for granted. Does he have horns?

A friend of mine had a Kiko buck she bought as a kid. He was just so "cute" and "nice." I cautioned her against making him a pet every time we discussed him. I got comments like "oh, ---- is so nice, he'd never hurt anyone" and "he's so sweet, he just wants to be petted."
When he reached maturity he turned into a demon. Progressively got worse and attacked owner several times. Finally went to the sale barn when he tried to kill (really) pre-teen daughter about a year later.

Rams, Kiko bucks and Jersey bulls = spawn of the devil.


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## Patty0315 (Feb 1, 2004)

A 2x4 and a very sharp knife or if you prefer a 22 . He will be so tame you can do anything you want with him. :hobbyhors 

Ok all kidding aside I never trust any rams ever ! Even ones who see very friendly can turn aon a dime .


Patty


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## Goatsandsheep (Jun 7, 2006)

You don't tame a ram. You want them just is leary of you is you are of them. I really wish I knew how they work with my new ram he is stand offish put will go thought open gates with only a little encouragement he also stood perfectly still and fell a sleep against the fence when I sheared him. The ram we had before him was mean and would came around the gate trying to get you. He's now out on a range in Oklahoma. I actually have a couple of ewes I don't trust there going bye-bye in a couple of weeks. G&S


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

I realize that I didn't make myself clear with my rattling bucket suggestion. I rattle the bucket when I'm at the barn and the sheep are in the back pasture. It gets their attention, I pour the feed into the feeders at the catch pen, (with the gate closed), while they are racing to the gate. When I'm done pouring out the feed THEN they are allowed in. I don't fancy getting run over by a flock of crazed ovine who will sacrifice themselves and anything that gets in the way of their bite of grain. They are worse than teenages hitting the pantry after school!


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

> I was thinking from the pic that he's already too tame.


Well, he's not. It took 5 minutes to catch him in the stall. That was a tackle around the neck. Then another 5 to get the halter on him. Then 5 more to drag him out to snap a picture. He held still for just long enough to get the shot. I don't want him tame as in wanting to pet him tame. I want to be able to shear him without getting killed. I have thought of keeping him long enough to breed my ewe this fall & then selling him, but I really don't want to have to find a new ram to use each fall. I plan on keeping him with a buddy. Would it be OK to keep him with the ewe most of the time or is that a bad idea?


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Wendy, perhaps all you need is to be able to get him to come with grain? If he'll come to grain and enter into a small area, you can do doctoring and such from there, but not worry about him being tame. 

Some people leave their rams with their ewes, but it really depends on the ram. They can be protective of their flock and come after you. And you'll lose. 

What's your goal with these sheep? Freezer camp? If so, try to find someone in your area that will let you borrow a ram for a month in the fall. Lots of folks will do that in exchange for the feed you're providing their ram. People around here are borrowing rams all the time. Either that, or you may be able to pay a nominal fee to have your ewe bred somewhere; much more economical than buying and housing a ram.


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## animalfarmer (Feb 14, 2006)

Hi Wendy,I sent you a P.M. It may be of value.Best of luck.


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## John Hill (May 12, 2002)

I dont think he needs to be 'tame', he must however respect humans and I understand animals such as rams and bulls respect those they see as stronger than them. So thats a halter and rope and learn how to yank the rope and throw him on his back.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

> I dont think he needs to be 'tame', he must however respect humans and I understand animals such as rams and bulls respect those they see as stronger than them. So thats a halter and rope and learn how to yank the rope and throw him on his back.


That is what I meant! I guess I shouldn't have used the word tame. I want him to respect me, but also want to be able to work with him when needed. Such as shearing & trimming hooves.


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## John Hill (May 12, 2002)

I have only had experience of rams in larger flocks and no doubt an individual is quite different as I guess he gets a very inflated opinion of his place in the scheme of things! Maybe someone has better ideas but I think a good policy would be to grab him and sit him on his butt or rolled on his back whenever you get a chance.

If you are anxious about him taking a chance and trying to do you mischief you could moderate him somewhat by one of those ram blinders that I am sure are available in your country. They are just a leather shield thing he wears on his halter which blocks his eyesight forwards when he puts his head down.


However, I know rams that never have close human contact except for a few times a year are very 'respectful' when faced by a capable border collie or sitting on their butt. Well except for Border Leisters perhaps, they seemed to try eating my T-shirt when I was shearing them!


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## Slev (Nov 29, 2003)

I think it's kind of a shame that more people on this list don't use herding dogs. I think some of the views might change a little. That being said, YES rule #1 is never trust a ram! For me rule #2 is have my herding dog with me if I'm going to be messing around with the flock. (Keep in mind, they are a well trained herding dog!) 

We've had many rams over the years, only one was ever a "threat" and that was one that was raised as a bottle lamb, not afraid of humans, BUT had never seen a dog either. We bought him because of his wool quality. First thing he did was try to take me down. The next thing I did was take my dogs to the field! Funny, he was always a pen kept, or very small paddock kept animal, with never a reason to run. When I sent the dogs around, all of my flock came around and migrated to me. All except him, He never ran until that day. It was kinda funny watching him bunny hop with his legs kinda stiff blowing out at the sides. 

The point is, YES he was dangerous from the day we bought him but my dogs taught him to respect them and me. I personally never had a problem again with him, but he did take my wife down, really hard. She seldom takes the border collies with her. ....We sold him as soon as the breeding season over. 

One question I have is, I see lots of show rams and they are always well under control. They must work with them a lot to be trained that well? 

We currently have 2 rams, a high dollar show ram, and son of "Jerk-wad" both have never given us a lick of trouble, walk on a lead rope when we shear them, and WE KEEP ALERT AROUND MATING SEASON. I almost always have at least one good herding dog with me.


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

If you want to catch a sheep, get it into a pen, and then use a lightweight gate to press it into a corner. I think someone mentioned a section of ladder, which would work,too. The trick is NOT to chase around, but to get them into a small space so they cannot run. Its easier on you, and much less frightening to the sheep.

Then if you want, put the halter on him, and tie him as close as possible to a post, etc. Stay close by in case he manages to hang himself, but otherwise just let him fight it out until he realizes it does not good. Do this several times, and he will eventually take it quietly. Then you can catch him, halter and tie him, and trim feet, shear him standing up, etc. 

Some of our Bluefaced Leicester rams will let me walk out and trim feet in the pasture. Even the feistiest ones will stand quietly in a pen and let me work with them. Some ram behavior is breed specific. 

Lisa at Somerhill
www.somerhillfarm.com


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

I fully understand the need to be careful around rams. Some breeds are also naturally more flighty. My Montadales (both genders) are very slow to tame if at all. 

HOWEVER I have a two year old Dorset ram who is a giant puppy dog. The only time he has gotten "extra playful" is when he doesn't get a treat. He gives small taps in the rear to remind us the fee for entering his pasture. Otherwise he comes like a dog when he is called, loves to be petted and is generally just a big baby. 

He and our great pyr. guardian dog have a funny friendship. I thought they picked on eachother. One day I saw the dog act like he was attacking him around the neck, which was upseting as I need a dog. Then a couple days later the ram steam rolled the dog on the way to feed. 

Yesterday I saw the ram butt the dog, to which the dog started to jump and dodge in front of the ram to playfully antagonize. The ram just stood still and watched. as soon as the dog fell and had to sit from a sprain the ram got playful. I was worried the ram would hurt him. Well to my surprise the ram made a few attempts at teasing him and stopped to stand next to him. I think the ram knew play was over and was gentle enough to not butt him at all.


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## RandB (Aug 13, 2002)

Gosh, we have had over a dozen rams here, and never had one be mean. We didn't make pets of them, but a few of them got pretty tame anyway, and have never had one show any mean tendencies toward people. Guess we just got lucky with good temperments - they were mostly Cheviot/Dorset crosses.


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## veme (Dec 2, 2005)

I have had lots of different rams and they are all individuals.
I think that "sweetness" or temperament is a genetic trait.
Halter breaking a ram and teaching them to lead is a good idea.

I didn't see if it was recommended or not, but I AWAYS put a sturdy bell on my rams and billy goats.
That way I know where they are at all times..... and I can hear 'em coming! :hobbyhors 

Some people don't like to do that because a ram may hang themselves with the collar.
I have never had that happen. (I had it happen with a dairy goat & a breakaway chain but that's a whole other story)


That said I never go in a pen or a pasture without my crook or a stick and I never turn my back on a ram or any male farm animal :nono: 

I carry a stick for pigs, cows, ducks and even chickens.....you just never know  
My big burley husband one time took a licking from a Mama Duck...no kidding!
It was funny :baby04: 

I agree that a good dog is worth their weight in gold.
Not just with Rams but with lots of things.

When I had 75 brood ewes I could not have managed without my 2 herding dogs.


veme


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Veme, great idea with the bell!

Hintonlady, a lot of rams don't become aggressive until they're 3 or 4, but most I've know have had a burst of hormones at 3. If you're getting gentle bumps at two, I'd be willing to bet those taps will be harder this fall!


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## Slev (Nov 29, 2003)

kesoaps said:


> Veme, great idea with the bell!
> 
> Hintonlady, a lot of rams don't become aggressive until they're 3 or 4, but most I've know have had a burst of hormones at 3. If you're getting gentle bumps at two, I'd be willing to bet those taps will be harder this fall!


Also, I find walking out in my pasture with a lamb brat on a bun and a bottle of mustard, ....kinda keeps them ALL on their toes...! lol


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## chicamarun (Dec 26, 2006)

We have 1 that's "tame" - he'll come up to you and want stuff - my daughter feeds him goldfish snacks through the fence. But I personally am always nervous walking in the field with them. I turned once and had a big ole bruise the size of a softball on my hip for awhile because they wanted to play. We have a wether who is a pet.

There is a slight difference with being halter broken - which none of our sheep are. ALways be wary of rams


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