Re-introducing Rams after Breeding
Introducing new rams to your current ram flock can always be tricky and if not handled properly can end in the death of one ram. The same can be said for re-introducing rams after breeding. Sometimes this can be even trickier as the rams have the odour of the ewes on them, so if possible, remove the ewes from the joining paddock and leave the ram for a few days before re-introducing him to the other rams, so the odour will have worn off. Some people suggest using perfume etc. on the nose and butt to mask the scent of the ewe and make them smell the same, but we have never had to resort to this. Besides, I value my perfumes!
When rams fight for dominance, they back up, then run and headbutt (or ram) each other. By putting them in a small area you’re taking away the space they need to back up and gain momentum before ramming. They may still headbutt each other, if they have room, but you have greatly reduced the risk of serious injury.
So, put the rams in the smallest area you can, (gates work well for sectioning off an area), so they have room to turn around and sit down, but little more than that. DO NOT give them room to back up and charge or you may very well lose one of them. They will spend a bit of time pushing, shoving, grunting, and jumping on each other, but they don’t have the room to injure each other.
They will probably need around half a day like this.
Once they have become used to each other and are not so active in their pushing, you can enlarge the space a little. Still do not give them space to back up and charge. At this stage we usually give them some hay as well, to keep them occupied. Watch them to see how they are behaving. If there is still angst, make it smaller again.
The size of the area you use depends on the number of rams you are re-introducing. At this stage they should have enough room to walk around each other and move away from each other. You may need to keep them like this for a day or two, depending on their behaviour.
Once the rams are appearing to get along okay, you can give them a bigger area again. If you are still concerned, tyres or the tyre feeders spread haphazardly across the area will help to slow them down if they decide to charge, as they will trip manoeuvring around them and won’t feel confident to continue.
When you feel they are ready to go back to their paddock, take some hay with you and feed them as you let them back. Feed is always a great distraction and sometimes serves as a bonding experience, kind of like the boys and a beer!
If you have several rams to put back together, introduce them all at once. Don’t think it’s a good idea to introduce just two, thinking you have given one a buddy/protector and them put them back with other rams. Their brains don’t work like this. They will still pick on one or both. Introduce all the rams who are going to share the same area at the same time. If you have wethers sharing with rams, introduce them at the same time as well. It should not take as long with a wether but you still need to do a careful introduction.
The length of time each level of introduction takes, depends on the behaviour of the individual rams. We have found if they are left on their own for a few days before re-introducing them, they are often happier to see a friend. Individual rams’ temperaments will also have a bearing on this. Some are more even-tempered and not so testosterone fuelled as others, but do not be tempted to just put them straight back in the paddock together, without an introductory time. It is hard to separate two fighting rams and you could be risking your life to get in the middle. No-one told us about this when we were starting off and we found out the hard way, it only takes a minute for death to occur from a fight and once the “back-up” has started, even Babydolls are hard to stop or separate. You will not have time to grab the hose or a bucket of water, so play it safe from the start.
If they do happen to still bump heads, don’t forget to give it a spray of Cetrigen or Extinosad to keep the flies away.