234 



THE BREEDING SEASON 



oats are invigorating. In case the ram is in thin flesh, it may be well 

 to add corn and linseed oil meal to the grain part of his ration, 

 making a mixture of corn, five ; oats, ten ; bran, three ; and oil meal, 

 two parts by weight. 



Preparing for Mating. As a rule the ram will copulate with 

 greater ease if the wool on his belly is clipped short for several inches 



in front of the penis. Fat, 

 clumsy rams should be shorn 

 close all over the body, as they 

 are more active and less subject 

 to overheating after the fleece 

 is removed. In England what 

 is known as a "teaser" is em- 

 ployed if the breeding ram is so 

 fat and heavy on his feet that 

 circulating through the flock in 

 search of ewes "in heat" tires 

 him. The "teaser," a light, 

 active ram with an apron tied in 

 front of his penis so that he can- 

 not effect copulation, is allowed 

 to circulate through the flock in 

 order to locate the ewes "in 

 heat." By removing and placing 

 them in a small pen or lot with 

 the breeding ram his strength is 

 conserved and he can breed many 

 more ewes than would other- 

 wise be possible (Fig. 161). 



By smearing a paint, non- 

 injurious to the wool, between 

 the fore legs of the ram each 

 day, a paint mark will be left on all the ewes he serves. This is 

 a material aid in keeping a record of the breeding service which 

 English shepherds use extensively. At the end of every sixteen days 

 they either change the color of the paint or smear it where it will 

 mark the ewe in a new place. Then it is possible to discover which 

 ewes recur in heat (Fig. 162). 



The number of ewes a ram will serve in a season depends on his 

 age and vigor, and to a certain extent upon his breeding. Western 

 sheepmen claim that a ram of any of the English mutton breeds will 

 serve more ewes than a Merino of similar age and state of thrift. 



FIG. 161. Preparing the ram for better 

 breeding service by shearing the wool from 

 his belly. 



