[Jacob-list] Re: butting rams

[Donnangelo,Nicholas C.]

I have electric fencing around my sheep paddocks and have not found it
effective, it works great if they touch it with their nose, but if they bump
with their head or body the wool/dead horn acts an a very effective insulator.
Also the period of contact is so short in butting, and the frequency of the
fencer so low (about once a second), that even if he did solidly connect the
chances are he wouldn't be shocked anyway.  While my ram has destroyed his share
of fence posts and boards the real problem  (at least for me) is the run in
sheds, which cannot be electrified even if I found that it worked with my
herd.   Nick


rlynde wrote

> Electric fence works wonders. I had a terrible time breeding to 5 rams last
> year and one killed the other through a wire fence. After breeding season I
> put up electric fence. I used 3 strands (one on top for the llama, 2 at nose
> level and lower) to protect existing fence and used 6 wires (I think--I'd
> have to go out and count) to construct new fence between paddocks. This year
> I had no ram problems. Now, I also minimized ram-to-ram contact through
> fences this year. But in the one area where I had two breeding groups next
> to each other I'd see the rams back up as though they were going to run at
> each other. But they'd do it half-heartedly and stop before they hit the
> fence.
> Robin Lynde
> Meridian Jacobs
> Vacaville, CA
> www.meridianjacobs.com
>
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