Is this common for a ram?

[Wendy]

I had the ram (he is young maybe 1 1/2) and our buck in the same pasture as the horses.  they got along fine.    Well the girls (ewes and does) were comming in - so the ram was trying to breed everything he seen - cows the buck.   I didn't want the buck to jump the fence to get with his girls - so put the ram & buck in another pen - with taller fence.  

The first couple of days in there the ram tore up the whole side of the shed and a door by ramming into it.   We are going to have to take the wall out and replace it.  And he became somewhat aggressive towards the buck.    They got along but Luther just learned to stay out of the way.

We kept them in this pen for a couple of months - then Labor Day I turned the ram out in a pasture with the ewes.  Within a couple of hours he butted a barn door and tore up some boards.  My ? is - Is this a common behavior for Rams?

[HunterTed]

Yep this is pretty common behavior for rams.  I had Barbados, Black Hawaiians, and Suffolk sheep for years and they were all destructive.

[Momsfawn]

Yup. you take a hard head, horns and hormones = dented walls, torn fences, etc.  Must be a guy thing, huh?  

[Wendy]

luckily he doesn't have horns.

He was doing good or a couple of days - but then tore up another board on that barn door AND another door.

Guess this week end we are going to try putting all the sheep on the hog floor.  It has THICK concrete walls all the way around it.  Do you think he can tear that up?  

So I'm taking it - there is no way to stop it?

After all the ewes are breed - I think he's gone - not unless we can figure something else out - Permanent home on hog floor maybe.

[GoatTalker]

Wendy, can he run with the does? He might be a lot calmer that way.

[Wendy]

He IS with the EWES!

I don't think I want him with the does - he will try breeding them.  I know this for a fact.

Back when I first got the sheep - I let EVERYONE run together.  And when it got close to the due dates for the does - he was trying to breed them.  I had to get them out and put them in a different pen.

And with his history of trying to breed the cow and the buck.  I don't think I want to put them all together right now.   I would have a real mess.

He has been laying by the gate where my does are - instead of 'hanging' out with his ewes.  I do know he breed one of the ewes.   My does are 'in' also.  One of them was bred a couple of days ago and the buck is still talking and following her around.