172 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



to draw nearer together and stick straight up and seem 

 to have less flexibility either to use or to the touch. The 

 face also about the eyes and on the forehead will show 

 gray hairs, much as a person begins to get gray on the 

 temples. 



To the experienced horseman the whole face gives an 

 indication of age but there i$ no rule that will aid the 

 ordinary investigator to take advantage of these points. 

 It is a matter of experience, judgment and in most cases 

 pure intuition. 



Age of Sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep have no 

 upper front teeth. 



The lamb has six small white milk teeth. 



Between twelve and fifteen months, the center pair 

 drop out and two permanent incisors come in. 



At twenty to twenty-four, the next two permanent in- 

 cisors come in. 



At thirty to thirty-six, two more permanent incisors 

 appear. 



At forty and over the last permanent pair of incisors 

 the corner pair come in and the mouth is full. 



This gives the sheep eight incisors, two more than 

 the cow or horse. 



The permanent teeth of the sheep can easily be dis- 

 tinguished, for they are darker in color and twice the 

 size of the milk teeth. After four years, the only way 

 to ascertain the age of a sheep by the teeth is from the 

 wear on them. 



Broken-mouthed ewes are those sheep some of whose 

 teeth have been broken off in feeding. This condition 

 generally begins to show from seven years and sheep 

 thus injured should be legged out of a band and sold 

 for fattening, as they will not do well on the range. 



