FOR SHOW RING AND MARKET. 87 



Lambing Pens. 



I am not in favor of permanent lambing pens, for various 

 teasons, among them being the fact that a ewe taken from 

 the flock and placed in a strange pen away from where she 

 can get a view of her companions is apt to worry and fret, 

 a fact which cannot be said to conduce to successful yean- 

 ing. I have found portable pens, made in the following 

 manner, to give very satisfactory results: Take four 2x2 

 posts about 3 l /2 feet long, and 12 boards about 3^2 feet 

 long, 6 inches wide and ^/\ of an inch in thickness. These 

 when nailed together should form a handy pen 3^2 feet 

 square, which, when a ewe shows unmistakable symptoms 

 of yeaning, can be placed over her and molestation from 

 other members of the flock be prevented, although at the 

 same time she is not debarred from having a full view of 

 her companions. Where large or small sheep are con- 

 sidered of course the dimensions of the pen can be fixed to 

 suit the circumstance of the individual case. The shepherd 

 should use judgment and care that the boards are fixed 

 close enough together to prevent the lambs from creeping 

 through between them and wandering away from the dam. 

 As soon as the yeaning season is over these portable pens 

 can be knocked down and stored away for use another 

 season. 



The Care of Pregnant Ewes. 



The result of the lamb crop depends largely on the 

 amount of care the ewes receive. The good shepherd will 

 see that his ewes are properly sorted, or graded, so that 

 the young and robust animals do not crowd out the older 



