~Hubby is tying a wood pallet in front of our 100% lifetime guaranteed livestock gate.This is to prevent Goth from destroying the gate.~
~We have mended the breaks in the fence, tied gates firmly, and replaced tarps to help prevent Goth from seeing the ewes ( girl sheep) on the other side. When he sees the ewes he tries to get to them, ramming and ramming, and ramming!The tarps do slow him down just a bit.The ram mask also helps by obstructing any straight-ahead vision he has and eliminating the full force straight on ramming. However, Goth still rams , or butts, or runs head on into anything he feels like ramming.He is , after all, a RAM! Rams don't do a lot of thinking, just what they are hardwired to do, RAM! Isn't this just a lovely photo? My oh my, tarps are just what every red neck family needs in their landscaping.
~We have mended the breaks in the fence, tied gates firmly, and replaced tarps to help prevent Goth from seeing the ewes ( girl sheep) on the other side. When he sees the ewes he tries to get to them, ramming and ramming, and ramming!The tarps do slow him down just a bit.The ram mask also helps by obstructing any straight-ahead vision he has and eliminating the full force straight on ramming. However, Goth still rams , or butts, or runs head on into anything he feels like ramming.He is , after all, a RAM! Rams don't do a lot of thinking, just what they are hardwired to do, RAM! Isn't this just a lovely photo? My oh my, tarps are just what every red neck family needs in their landscaping.
~Goth is checking out his repaired pen. Hmmm, tarps are secure. There is a board in place to lessen the force of a head-on ram, but still.....Goth knows there are ewes and ram lambs on the other side of this tarp. He is not THAT stupid to think they are gone, because his nose knows.
~Goth finds a place to peek at the ewes feeding close by. This is the gate Hubby just secured.~
~Goth is pretty restless. We have just pulled him out of the pen where he reigned supreme over the ewes. Now he is alone and he checks out every possible entry back into the ewe pen.
~Fortunately, we have a secret weapon! We have pastured one of our ewes, Delilah (half Jacob, half Romney ) at the home of Hubby's sister and her husband who live next door. Delilah was not helpful in our attempt to walk her next door to our home, and as she is a bit too heavy to drag over, Hubby and brother Thom hauled her in a wheel barrow. Look at Goth ! He is interested. He is waiting, and we release Delilah into Goth's pen.
~There you go. Goth is happy. Delilah is happy.There will be late spring lambs, and hopefully Delilah will keep Goth company long enough to spare our temporary fix on the fencing so we can do a really good job of it. Anyway, the secret weapon is working for now.
~The happy couple, Goth and Delilah( above ).~
~But be warned, he is still checking out his options and escape and destruction are only a head butt away!
~ Thank-you everyone for your comments and concerns regarding Goth. You are right, he is very dangerous. He is dangerous because he is a ram. Any and all rams are dangerous, tame or not, horned or not. Their sole purpose is to reproduce and get to the girl sheep any way possible. I do not, and never will, trust Goth. I do not enter into any pens containing Goth. We have worked out a system of feeding and penning Goth from the outside of his pen. He has not actively sought me out to ram, and I do not intend to give him a chance. However, if he does, or becomes too much more destructive he will be making the appointment at the taxidermist's, where his father is right now. Yup, Goth's father Torque became too aggressive and dangerous...Hubby dispatched him to the joy and relief of our grandchildren, and he should be coming home within the next few months, ready to be mounted on our wall.
Blessings: keeping sheep, fences, lambs, good neighbors we're related to, the cat peacefully snoring next to me as I write this post
12 comments:
Oh, that last picture cracks me up Kathy. Goth reminds me of our cat, Ditto. He's always "looking" to see what he can get into next!
Common sense is an uncommon commodity in today's USA - obviously if one keeps animals you have to be aware of the hazards. Glad Goth has an object for his affections and a distraction for a while. Our little hornless buck get absolutely no respect from our does once their season is over - Snickers was top dog for about 2 weeks -now he is back to just another face in the crowd. (BTW we didn't remove his horns - previous owners decided artibrarily to remove horns on all the kids born to their does - we'd rather he had horns with which to fend off small predators). Thanks for the interesting view - if he weren't so destructive a Goth Cam might be interesting? HA!
Geez this is so very interesting and scary. It's amazing how survival of the fittest and the passing on of genes is so very powerful. Thanks for educating us all on this.
My goodness! Look at all you have accomplished! The fencing looks good, and you even gave him a very pretty little companion. Hmmm, Delilah. Interesting name. Remember what she did to the strongest man in the world (Samson)? I wonder if she will tame Goth like her namesake tamed Samson?
I absolutely *loved* all the pictures of the ram and the sheep. Seeing poor Delilah in a wheelbarrow was a little sad, but it also made me laugh. Your menfolk are sure clever!
The picture of Goth peeking over the fence, I must say, is just a little frightening. Oh those horns!!!
This was a wonderful, fascinating post. I'm sure you can't understand how very interesting all this is, since you live with sheep and probably associate with others who keep sheep and other livestock. You must see this as all "daily life" stuff. But to me, a life-long city girl this is all so very, very fascinating.
I think I saw a real live sheep once in my life, when I was a little girl, at the petting zoo. The only wildlife I see around here on a regular basis are squirrels!
We had a 100% lifetime guaranteed gate. Then a geriatic "free" gift horse tried to walk through it and yes indeed that gate lasted as long as the horses lifetime!
He certainly is one determined ram! I hope your secret weapon keeps him occupied enough to repair his lovely works of art. :)
Goth is a character! He reminds of the "bad boys" who used to ride around on motorcycles, smoke cigarettes and wear black leather jackets. I hope Delilah can tame her "bad boy".
We are in the midst of yet another snowstorm here. I'm really getting tired of all this snow and being housebound. I never, ever, ever thought I would be praying for rain. *he*
Rams are such a joy :-)
I love your improvised "sheep trailer"!
That is the one part of owning jacob sheep that I don't enjoy! Have you tried an electric fence? We finally put up a couple strands of electric around our ram pen and it has worked marvelously. The three boys we have right now aren't very destructive, but Junior is always sure that breeding season is a few weeks earlier than we want it to be. He can be tough on gates and turn them into scrap metal pretty quick. He hasn't done any damage since we put the electic fence up. Your distraction is a great idea ;)
It's not even spring and a young ram's fancy turns to ---, smile.
Best of success, it's always a challenge having uncut male animals.
Oh dear. Poor Goth. He is just a lovesick Romeo looking for a little romance. The last photo of him sneaking a look over the top is so funny.
I am glad to hear that you use all precautions around him, Kathy. That is reassuring.
Such a different life you lead than anything that I have known. Very interesting post. :)
Mildred, It is ridiculous to see Goth peeking through little holes in the tarps. He certainly wants to be 'in the know' when it comes to all the sheep.
Linda Sue,Goth cam-great idea ! It would have to be mounted in a tree, outside his pen.
Noble Pig, all rams are pretty dangerous and don't ever be fooled by a fluffy, hornless little ram. Just when you least expect it...wham!
Miss Linda, why you're right, Delilah did tame Samson, to his ruin. This Delilah has captivated Goth for now. But really, if Goth gets too much more destructive we just can't keep him around.
Lanny, maybe that's what those fence guarantees mean...any animal who destroys them in all likelihood will be dispatched to the big pasture in the sky...or the freezer!
AMC, we hope so too, for our and Goth's sake.
Jo, that's a good mental of Goth, a Bad Boy, and he is.We too are wishing for our typical rain,I am tired of hauling buckets of water out to the animals because the hoses and water troughs are frozen up.
Patchwork Acres, funny what we find useful around the farm yards, hey ?
Kenleigh Acres, electric fencing does not work for me at all ! The sheep just walk right through it. Even closely sheared wet sheep walk through it. The goats and dogs respect electric fencing but the sheep....no. Shucks!
Sandra, I don't think my rams are ever disinterested in the ewes, just a little less energetic about it the girls in extreme heat.
Daisy,thanks. I do take for granted all the fun I have with my animals.
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