SHEEP. 307 



and lay in a warm place, rubbing occasionally and giving a few drops of whisky or brandy in 

 a teaspoonful of new milk. Many persons, as soon as a chilled lamb is found, at once admin 

 ister stimulants, whereas if they first try to equalize the circulation in the manner described, 

 success will follow in nine cases out of ten. 



The lamb restored to activity, the next thing is to make the ewe own it. The ewe dis 

 tinguishes its own lamb by the smell, and the process of washing is liable to make the sheep 

 disown her offspring, especially if the mother be young. Take a dish of meal or chopped 

 stuff, give some to the ewe, and while she is eating rub a few handfuls into the wool of the 

 lamb. Eub part of a handful of salt on the lamb s head and along the ba,ck, remove the 

 meal from before the ewe, quietly place the lamb under her nose, and as soon as she has a 

 taste or smell of the salt or meal upon the lamb, she will commence to lick it. Then you 

 may go about your business, for when she has once licked the lamb no further trouble need 

 be apprehended in regard to her owning it. 



In the same way when a ewe drops twins, one may be transferred to one which has lost 

 her lamb. During the owning process it is always best to confine the ewe in a small pen or 

 tie her up for convenience in placing the lamb near her. 



This process of resuscitating chilled lambs works well (especially in the hands of the 

 farmer s wife or daughters), because the warm water will quickly and equally warm every 

 part of the skin at the same time, thus equalizing the circulation quickly and effectually. 

 The danger will be in thoughtlessly exposing the lamb to the cold before it is thoroughly 

 dry. 



If this does not fully revive him, a tablespoonful of milk from a new milch cow, with a 

 half teaspoonful of brandy, gin, or whisky, given warm, will prove beneficial; but this 

 should not be given until the hot bath has been tried and circulation restored, as it will then 

 prove more effectual. Wrapping the lamb in old flannel and putting in a warm place, com 

 bined with rubbing the limbs and body occasionally with the hand or a flannel cloth, will 

 often restore them. An old sheep-herder in the State of New York gives his method as 

 follows: 



&quot; I found in my yard this morning a pair of twins nearly dead. I brought them into 

 the house to a good fire; warmed a blanket and laid it on the floor, and opened the oven door 

 so as to get all the heat I could on the lambs. I then took one egg for each lamb, and beat 

 it well in a tin cup, and, having some hot water in a basin, I put the cup with the egg into 

 the basin of hot water and stirred until warm, but was careful not to cook the egg. I then 

 put my finger into the lamb s mouth every two or three minutes, and gave him two or three 

 teaspoonf uls of the warm egg. In less than one hour the lambs were ready to go back to 

 the yard, and, with a little aid, sucked the ewe. I never had it fail, and have tried it for 

 twenty years.&quot; 



Docking Lambs. Though seemingly a cruel practice, docking is essential to the 

 welfare and comfort of sheep, as otherwise the long tail becomes so filthy that it proves a 

 great detriment to the flock. This should be preferred during the first few weeks, the 

 younger the better, provided the lambs be strong and healthy. It may, however, be done at 

 any age from three days to four months of age. It should not be done when the weather 

 is very cold, or very hot, the two extremes being objectionable. If very cold, the stumps will 

 not heal well, and if done in very warm weather, the flies will be troublesome. 



Cool, dry weather is the best, and it should be done in the morning, before the lambs 

 have heated their blood by exercising much. 



The best manner of doing this is to use a broad, thin, sharp chisel. One person should 

 hold the lamb, while another performs the docking. Laying the tail on a plank of wood, 

 and the person holding the lamb draws or crowds the skin as close to the body as possible, 

 while the operator places his chisel between the bone joints, about two inches from the body, 



