Rams can finger like a forgotten part of the troop . They often do n’t attend around as long as othersheepdo , becoming either wethers ( castrate males ) or , frankly , dinner . But questions about these puzzling bozo bristle . In honor of random-access memory ’ favorite fourth dimension of year — fall breeding season — here are some of my favorite , frequently asked question about rams .
1. Does The Size Of A Ram’s Head Change?
Many tidy sum owners guess their eyes must be playing joke on them , but it ’s true : Sometimes the size and/or shape of a random memory ’s head will change . This pass off in some breeds more than others . During bringing up time of year — between recent September and other January , depending on geography — random-access memory ’ olfactory organ may broaden and look thicker or bumpier . Their foreheads will appear to swell slightly and/or wrinkle up . This bulking up in the head purportedly protects tup from any rearing season bashing they may receive from other tup . Aries ’ capitulum return to normal sizing in the leaping .
2. Do Ram Fleeces Smell Bad?
No , and they can in reality producehigh - quality fleece , though with a few caveats . Ram fleeces are neitherconsistentlystinkier nor coarser and , when off the sheep , can be undistinguishable from that of a ewe or a wether , ground on smell , sight and sense .
During breeding season , however , read/write memory fleeces do have a stronger , musky olfactory property . ( fortuitously , it ’s nowhere near as strong or noisome as that of buck goats in rut . ) This ram scent run to peak during the fall . Because most sheep are not shear until late spring or summer , the smell has long since been wash out and/or carried forth . If a Aries fleece harbor any noticeable odour , it ’s quite mild and launder out during scouring , like so many other things in a wool .
Testosteronecancoarsen a ram ’s wool , but only by about 1 to 3 micron ( micrometer , or 1 millionth of a meter ) . In a given hatful , however , Aries the Ram fleeces are usually at least as ok as ewe fleece , and often finer . Why ? Because fineness of woolen is one of several inheritable traits that wool producers judge and consider in advance of breeding . One random-access memory will cover with many ewe and draw genes on to many more lamb : Wool producers tend to select only the best tup for this great honor , and woolen quality is a factor .
In some primitive breeds of sheep , endocrine in rams may cause them to raise rough-cut or hairy wool in the neck , beard and/or britch ( top of wooden leg ) areas . Ram fleeces also tend to get coarser as the sheep age , but this can also be true of ewe . wether , by contrast , do n’t have the hormonal ups and downs of random memory and ewes . They tend to produce more reproducible fleeces over the class of their lifetimes , barring consequence like illness and malnutrition , which can affect fleece quality .
3. Is It Normal For Rams To Have Wool On Their Testicles?
Yes . woolly testicles are perfectly normal in both ram lamb and old sheep , but this fleece is n’t always retained and can shorten over time . A sheep shearer will carefully shear testicle wool out if it is present on shearing day . The measure of wool in this area vary greatly by strain : Romney sheep , for illustration , are notorious for having long woolen ( several inches is not strange ) here , while Shetlands do not .
4. Should Rams Be Kept Away From Other Sheep?
Yes and no . Except during breeding season , random-access memory should be split from ewe . Like all sheep , though , rams hate to be alone . They should be penned or accompanied by at least one crony sheep , like a wether or another ram . Aries may struggle one another , but they do n’t always . Many rams live peacefully together in span or low group . The degree to which they get along seems to depend more on the personalities of somebody than on shared maleness .
This peaceful coexistence may change as breed time of year approach . ram may begin to physically challenge each other for hierarchy and breeding perquisite . If they butt top dog to the extent that they seriously offend one another , you may wish to separate them until multiply season is over . And remember : Never , ever turn your back on a random memory .
5. Do Rams Have To Be Castrated?
No . You may not even irritate if your ram are going to the butcher their first fall season . If you do not have a separate area for rams to be kept over the wintertime , however , you may wish well to demasculinise them so that you’re able to keep wethers and ewes together .
6. Do Horns Make The Ram?
No . In some breeds of sheep , likeJacob , both Aries and ewes have horn .
7. Do Wethers Ever Act Like Rams?
Yes . Some wethers become more tup - ilk as they maturate .
