diff --git a/ipam/allocator.go b/ipam/allocator.go
index ae178452..831b9862 100644
--- a/ipam/allocator.go
+++ b/ipam/allocator.go
@@ -814,8 +814,14 @@ func (alloc *Allocator) sendRingUpdate(dest mesh.PeerName) {
 	alloc.gossip.GossipUnicast(dest, msg)
 }
 
-func (alloc *Allocator) checkRangeHasAllocations(r address.Range) bool {
-	return alloc.space.NumFreeAddressesInRange(r) != r.Size()
+func (alloc *Allocator) hasAllocations(rs []address.Range) bool {
+	for _, r := range rs {
+		alloc.debugf("hasAllocations: %v %v vs %v", r, alloc.space.NumFreeAddressesInRange(r), r.Size())
+		if alloc.space.NumFreeAddressesInRange(r) != r.Size() {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
 }
 
 func (alloc *Allocator) update(sender mesh.PeerName, msg []byte) error {
@@ -836,7 +842,7 @@ func (alloc *Allocator) update(sender mesh.PeerName, msg []byte) error {
 	// If someone sent us a ring, merge it into ours. Note this will move us
 	// out of the awaiting-consensus state if we didn't have a ring already.
 	case data.Ring != nil:
-		updated, err := alloc.ring.Merge(*data.Ring, alloc.checkRangeHasAllocations)
+		updated, err := alloc.ring.Merge(*data.Ring, alloc.hasAllocations)
 		switch err {
 		case nil:
 			if updated {
diff --git a/ipam/ring/ring.go b/ipam/ring/ring.go
index cc0f4dc6..1eeee069 100644
--- a/ipam/ring/ring.go
+++ b/ipam/ring/ring.go
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ func (r *Ring) GrantRangeToHost(start, end address.Address, peer mesh.PeerName)
 
 // Merge the given ring into this ring and indicate whether this ring
 // got updated as a result.
-func (r *Ring) Merge(gossip Ring, checkRangeHasAllocations func(r address.Range) bool) (bool, error) {
+func (r *Ring) Merge(gossip Ring, hasAllocations func(r []address.Range) bool) (bool, error) {
 	r.assertInvariants()
 	defer r.trackUpdates()()
 
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ func (r *Ring) Merge(gossip Ring, checkRangeHasAllocations func(r address.Range)
 		return false, ErrDifferentRange
 	}
 
-	result, updated, err := r.Entries.merge(gossip.Entries, r.Peer, r, checkRangeHasAllocations)
+	result, updated, err := r.Entries.merge(gossip.Entries, r.Peer, r, hasAllocations)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ func (r *Ring) Merge(gossip Ring, checkRangeHasAllocations func(r address.Range)
 // entries belonging to ourPeer. Returns the merged entries and an
 // indication whether the merge resulted in any changes, i.e. the
 // result differs from the original.
-func (es entries) merge(other entries, ourPeer mesh.PeerName, r *Ring, checkRangeHasAllocations func(r address.Range) bool) (result entries, updated bool, err error) {
+func (es entries) merge(other entries, ourPeer mesh.PeerName, r *Ring, hasAllocations func(r []address.Range) bool) (result entries, updated bool, err error) {
 	var mine, theirs *entry
 	var previousOwner *mesh.PeerName
 	addToResult := func(e entry) { result = append(result, &e) }
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ func (es entries) merge(other entries, ourPeer mesh.PeerName, r *Ring, checkRang
 			// insert, checking that a range owned by us hasn't been split
 			if previousOwner != nil && *previousOwner == ourPeer && theirs.Peer != ourPeer {
 				// check we have no allocations in the range that got split
-				if checkRangeHasAllocations(address.Range{Start: theirs.Token, End: mine.Token}) {
+				if hasAllocations(r.makeRanges(theirs.Token, mine.Token)) {
 					err = errEntryInMyRange(theirs)
 					return
 				}
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ func (es entries) merge(other entries, ourPeer mesh.PeerName, r *Ring, checkRang
 				if mine.Version == theirs.Version && !mine.Equal(theirs) {
 					if mine.Peer == ourPeer {
 						// if we own the entry and has allocations
-						if checkRangeHasAllocations(address.Range{Start: mine.Token, End: es.entry(i + 1).Token}) {
+						if hasAllocations(r.makeRanges(theirs.Token, es.entry(i+1).Token)) {
 							err = errInconsistentEntry(mine, theirs)
 							return
 						}
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ func (es entries) merge(other entries, ourPeer mesh.PeerName, r *Ring, checkRang
 					// in the range effectively given away, or it belongs to our own peer, in
 					// which case we should set our version to the one received plus one,
 					// effectively imposing our existing entry.
-					if theirs.Peer != ourPeer && !checkRangeHasAllocations(address.Range{Start: mine.Token, End: es.entry(i + 1).Token}) {
+					if theirs.Peer != ourPeer && !hasAllocations(r.makeRanges(mine.Token, es.entry(i+1).Token)) {
 						addTheirs(*theirs)
 					} else if theirs.Peer == ourPeer {
 						mine.Version = theirs.Version + 1
diff --git a/ipam/ring/ring_test.go b/ipam/ring/ring_test.go
index 859a411e..c137de65 100644
--- a/ipam/ring/ring_test.go
+++ b/ipam/ring/ring_test.go
@@ -38,19 +38,21 @@ func merge(r1, r2 *Ring) error {
 		}
 		return address.Count((r1.End - start) + (end - r1.Start))
 	}
-	checkEntryHasAllocations := func(r address.Range) bool {
-		size := distance(r.Start, r.End)
-		entry, found := r1.Entries.get(r.Start)
-		if !found {
-			return false
-		}
-		if entry.Free < size {
-			return true
+	check := func(rs []address.Range) bool {
+		for _, r := range rs {
+			size := distance(r.Start, r.End)
+			entry, found := r1.Entries.get(r.Start)
+			if !found {
+				continue
+			}
+			if entry.Free < size {
+				return true
+			}
 		}
 		return false
 	}
 
-	_, err := r1.Merge(*r2, checkEntryHasAllocations)
+	_, err := r1.Merge(*r2, check)
 	return err
 }