Boys will be boys...

Breeding groups were put together in mid October. We used 4 different rams this year. The one thing they all have in common, is that they are very mild mannered around people, no matter what time of year. They get along amongst themselves most of the time too. Icelandic sheep are seasonal breeders. The hormones get fired up in the fall, ewes start cycling, and the rams are ready to fight for dominance! Grady is the only ram lamb we are using from this year's crop. His breeding group was penned next to Finn's, who is a yearling. Neither are full grown, so they don't do a lot of damage to the fencing/gates yet. They did some head butting through the fence at first. Now, they just ignore each other for the most part. Echo has a group next to Finn as well. At the start, hey did some ramming through the fence. Two year old Echo has more weight and experience, so he never did end up with battle scars like Finn. Echo is a gentleman, and eats peacefully with his girls. They all seem to be settled, now, so he spends a lot of time pacing the fenceline. He knows there is a non-breeding group of ewe lambs in the barnyard! Fable is the fourth ram with ewes. He had just a small group for a short time. It would be nice to have some more mouflons in our flock.Finn's battle scars are healing up well, and his girls seem settled. We weren't planning on breeding any ewe lambs this year. Grady had other ideas. He broke out twice into the barnyard. Dates are recorded, and I'll have to keep a close eye on those naughty little girls!