State Agricultural Society. 457 



As a last resort, the teats may be opened by running a red-hot needle 

 into the orifices. These stoppages are often due to the ends of the teats 

 having been nieked at shearing." She may be only young and shy; 

 catch and hold her while the lamb sucks. Occasionally she will not 

 take the lamb, no matter what you do; then, if she be in good condition, 

 has milk, and acts so out of " pure cussedness," mark her for the butcher; 

 or if you happen. to be raising fine sheep and she possesses some extra 

 "points." she may be given one more chance. Do not fail to make a 

 note of her case at the time. You will then have to make a mother for 

 the lamb. 



Or there may be another manifest case of mother and infant, in which 

 the fault lies with the lamb, a weakling, or " discouraged " by cold or 

 hunger so that it will not suck. It is to be taken up and warmed. Some 

 sheep men dose it with a spoon and some stimulant, but a thorough 

 warming and drying off, with a few drops of milk milked into his mouth, 

 will do the work; if needful, hold him up to the teat for awhile, and you 

 may at the same time scratch him with the finger at the root of the tail 

 or such places as the ewe would lick him, and he will wag his tail and 

 begin to suck at once — taking courage from the caresses and help which 

 he imagines the ewe to be giving him. 



Some writers tell of European shepherds burying lambs up to their 

 necks in a compost heap and allowing the heat generated by decompo- 

 sition to warm them. I have applied this plan with success to full grown 

 sheep that have become chilled as a consequence of late shearing and 

 emaciation, but with young lambs I would adopt it only as the last resort, 

 for if there were any number of them it would be a first class job to 

 make their mothers own them again. 



MOTHERLESS LAMBS. 



Next, proceed with the "motherless lambs" — a term used to desig- 

 nate such as none of the ewes appear to own. If the lamb has not been 

 cleaned off, you may suspect it of being one of twins, which has got 

 separated from its mother. This is not unusual, for the ewe will some- 

 times get up during her pains and move about; other sheep may move 

 in between her and the lamb; or, if a strong one it may stray off, and 

 when its mate is born the ewe devotes her whole attention to the last 

 one; the first one gets dried off, probably is knocked down two or three 

 times, and in the dirt of a corral soon gets so disguised in every respect 

 that it is not strange the mother disowns it. 



Or the lamb may not be one of twins; then, if the mother be present, 

 careful observation will commonly disclose some indication on her part 

 of a preference for the lamb. Both may then be caught and held while 

 the lamb sucks; sometimes this will be enough; or they may then be 

 put in a small pen together. At this time if the ewe be startled, as by 

 the appearance of a dog, a child, or any other kind of fright, her mater- 

 nal instincts are often aroused, and she stamps her foot and demon- 

 strates in defense of the lamb; after this, she may consent to own it. 

 But if the ewe resist all management, being in good condition and hav- 

 ing milk, then — as I said before — mark her for the butcher. 



Mothers have now to be made for the motherless lambs. First, find 

 out if there be a ewe whose lamb was stillborn, and who still stands 

 over it. Skin the dead one, put the skin on the live one like a horse- 



58— (as") 



