FENCES AND HURDLES 



447 



(ED 



1 



feed room or some of the grain bins in the barn may not be in use 

 after shearing time, in which case it will be easy to find a place* for 

 the wool. Should storage for a long period be contemplated, how- 

 ever, a separate room for the wool should be provided. It need not 



be large, as the fleeces can be packed 

 into a comparatively small space. 



Equipment Outside of the Barn. 

 Silo. In case a silo is desired, it 

 should be located outside the barn 

 close to the feeding room ; in fact, the 

 chute should be arranged so that the 

 silage will fall from the silo into the 

 feeding .room. 



Dipping Plant. -In connection 

 with every sheep barn there should be 

 an inexpensive dipping plant, located 

 where it will not interfere with every- 

 day handling of the flock. Portable 

 galvanized iron vats can be purchased 

 from supply houses, which are ade- 

 quate for dipping flocks of ordinary 

 size. When set in place, the top of 

 the vat should be about six inches 

 above the ground. At one end of it 

 there should be a small pen to hold 

 sheep awaiting dipping, and at the 

 other, a draining platform where the 

 sheep are allowed to stand for a few 

 minutes after they are dipped, in 

 order to let the liquid drain out of 

 their wool and run back into the vat. 

 A walk-way can be built as an ap- 

 proach to the vat, and there are vari- 

 ous devices for sliding the sheep into 

 it. But, if the sheep are not let down gently into the liquid, a 

 great deal of it is splashed out and lost. In dipping small flocks it 

 pays to lift each sheep and carefully place it in the vat (Fig. 249). 

 Fences and Hurdles. If possible sheep should be protected by 

 boundary fences that will exclude dogs. (It is doubtful whether 



h. 



FIG. 2o2. The iron pest. The 

 bottom wire of the fence is caught in 

 the crotch formed by the junction of 

 the elbow piece with the long rod 

 and the top wire rests in the notch 

 indicated in the diagram. 



