Establishing the Flock. 13 



ewes in the morning. Therefore, if there should 

 be more than three in heat in the morning the 

 rest should be reserved for the evening. 



If a ewe should fail to become pregnant from 

 her first service, she will return in heat again in 

 from fourteen to nineteen days. However, the 

 great majority return in sixteen to seventeen days. 

 Only in three or four cases has the writer known 

 as long a period as twenty-one days to pass before 

 ewes returned. 



By the method of hand coupling the shepherd 

 is able to keep a record of the date each ewe be- 

 comes pregnant. Hence he will know the date 

 when she is due to lamb. When the ram is allowed 

 to serve each ewe but once at each time she is in 

 heat, rather than to serve her half a dozen times, 

 his vitality and vigor are also saved to a great ex- 

 tent. Moreover, it is well known that a single serv- 

 ice is better for the ewe than being bred several 

 times. 



Many sheep breeders who have not time to prac- 

 tice hand coupling, but nevertheless want to make 

 sure whether the ram that is turned with the ewe 

 flock is a breeder, paint him on the brisket be- 

 tween his forelegs with some color which will 

 leave a mark of the paint on the wool of the ewe. 

 This mark indicates that the ewe has been bred. 

 After eighteen days or three weeks have passed, 



