Hi Valorie, This probably isn't what you want to hear; I know you really love your ram. But he's going to get a whole lot more aggressive. He isn't afraid of you. There's a reason people on the list advise each other not to make pets out of their rams. Love your ewes all you want, but the ram should be weary of humans. Taming rams only forces a much harder choice in the end. We don't mess around with them when they become aggressive. We butcher them. Who else are we going to sell them to? No one in my area is a serious enough sheep rancher to take on an aggressive ram.
Heather -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Valorie Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 5:51 PM To: Barbados Blackbelly Subject: [blackbelly] Miss touching my ram Miss touching my ramYesterday was saddening to me. I spent many months getting our hair sheep to take treats from my hand. The ram has lost his fear & comes to me for "luvins" which is petting his "mane" & scratching him under the chin. I kept in mind always that people on this list have said not to touch the face (even anywhere on the head was a no-no to some) because it might give him the idea to butt. Still, on occasion Noble "asked" for scratching on the face and I would do it very briefly. We had our first ever lamb this past week. I was out in the pasture looking at it from the distance the mother Katydid allowed me, keeping it close to her & usually between me & the little girl Lilith. Noble came up to me as he always does looking for attention. He got his usual "luvins," then appeared to be asking for face scratches. After I did so, he leaned his head into me, which I mistook as a dog asking for more, and that time he shoved a little, enough to startle me. I frowned and went on with something else I had been doing when he had come up, and the goats got me turned at an angle to him. Then he stepped back a little and butted me very softly, then stepped back again with his head lower & then I felt the hard horns. >From then on I stay facing him in the pasture and try to keep goats between me & him...and no more touching him. It's sad though. ;( Valorie Machin [EMAIL PROTECTED] =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list (http://www.awrittenword.com/listserv/index.html). To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly To search the archives, go to http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list (http://www.awrittenword.com/listserv/index.html). To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly To search the archives, go to http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
