another dumb question (sorry) Buck and Ram?

CAjerseychick · #1 09/19/13, 01:37 PM

So once get our doelings settled in, thinking to get a ewe or two to have lambs for sale in the spring (nice pasture and want to make money off of it)...
So down the road while.... if we get a pygmy buck could I keep it penned (there is already a halfway fenced off little mini pasture with a shed in back) with a ram? Since they are herd animals would that qualify as company to have each other?
or is that a really bad idea? (see alot of little bucklings and ram lambs up for sale )....

CAjerseychick · #2 09/19/13, 01:43 PM

Sorry seem to have lost the entire Post! Uck!!!
OK here is the short version, once we get our mini doelings all settled in...I was thinking to get a ewe or 2 (nice pasture we have and want to make use of it) and breed lambs for sale-- if down the road we get a little mini Buck of some sort (there is a seperate little pasture area already half way fenced off in the back)-- could we put a Ram in with him-- they are herd animals and would that count as company? Or a really bad idea...
(there are alot of little bucklings and ram lambs for sale, we could buy em young and raise em together)....

CraterCove · #3 09/19/13, 01:47 PM

I hear tell if a ram and a buck get into a head butting contest it's likely the buck will end up dead. Sheep have thicker heard plates, as I understand it. I'd stick to a wether pal or have them share fence line so they can hang out without getting into trouble.

Hopefully someone knows more!

Kasidy · #4 09/19/13, 02:04 PM

The problem is the different fighting styles. A ram lowers his head and goes straight ahead. A buck goat rises on his hind legs and comes down. I know two different people who tried to run them together. In one case the goat was killed outright and in the other injured so badly that he was euthanized. One woman was very very upset because her two "boys" had been raised together as bottle babies and had always seemed to be best buddies. But when they mature and fall arrives all bets seem to be off.

CAjerseychick · #5 09/19/13, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasidy

The problem is the different fighting styles. A ram lowers his head and goes straight ahead. A buck goat rises on his hind legs and comes down. I know two different people who tried to run them together. In one case the goat was killed outright and in the other injured so badly that he was euthanized. One woman was very very upset because her two "boys" had been raised together as bottle babies and had always seemed to be best buddies. But when they mature and fall arrives all bets seem to be off.

Well I guess that answers my question then, thankyou very much!

Pony · #6 09/19/13, 05:55 PM

The way we're doing it is to have a young ram in to run with the ewes. Once they're settled, the ram goes to camp, and goats and sheep can run together again.

It is interesting to watch a ram do his thang. We had a wethered ram lamb who would butt the dogs. He wasn't afraid of anything! And when he fought with the goatie boys, it was a hoot - BUT he wasn't big enough to do any damage.

CAjerseychick · #7 09/19/13, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pony

The way we're doing it is to have a young ram in to run with the ewes. Once they're settled, the ram goes to camp, and goats and sheep can run together again.

It is interesting to watch a ram do his thang. We had a wethered ram lamb who would butt the dogs. He wasn't afraid of anything! And when he fought with the goatie boys, it was a hoot - BUT he wasn't big enough to do any damage.

Ok thats a good idea, ram lambs are pretty cheap and we have lotsa uses for him too (I am not a huge fan of lamb myself but we can sell it and use the spare parts for the dogs)....