162 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



or twelve weeks old, or when the advent of warm 

 weather makes parasitic infection a danger. An ex- 

 ception may be made of the ewe lambs, which may 

 in some cases run with their mothers until they are 

 weaned naturally. The advantage of weaning is that 

 it makes possible the separation of the young and 

 old and thus the young things are put by themselves 

 on clean pasture where there can be no contaminated 

 grass and thus they escape infection and parasitic 

 diseases. The proper way to wean lambs is by tak- 

 ing away the ewes, leaving the lambs in the pasture 

 where they are accustomed to run. Build in the pas- 

 ture a small yard or corral having creeps through 

 which the lambs can run ; the ewes, after being away 

 from the lambs for 12 hours, are returned and yard- 

 ed there when the lambs will run in and milk them 

 out, and when they have again gone out to feed the 

 ewes may be taken away for another period. Thus 

 there is a gradual separation, neither ewes nor lambs 

 experiencing a shock, and if the ewes are put on 

 rather sparse picking they will soon be dry. There 

 is but one danger, viz. : there may be some ewes yet 

 milking so heavily that their lambs will suffer from 

 gorging upon their return. The watchful shepherd 

 will be aware of such a case and catching them will 

 milk out somewhat before letting the lambs at them, 

 or if it be a late-born lamb allowing it to run yet a 

 little longer. 



