Rearing the Lambs. 77 



with left hand, which will leave the testicles partly 

 exposed. Draw them out either with your fingers 

 or a pair of pinchers. All fat and loose skin should 

 be left in and worked back with one hand. The 

 entire cord should be pulled out, not cut off. Pour 

 a little disinfectant in the two holes from which 

 the testicles have been removed, and then lift the 

 lamb over the partition to its mother. The reason 

 for fencing off the lambs is this: When lambs 

 have been castrated they are unable to run, and 

 generally lie down. If mothers and lambs are left 

 together the lambs may get hurt by having their 

 mothers run over them when the shepherd is 

 catching other lambs. The operator can perform 

 the neatest and cleanest job, if accustomed to do 

 it, by pulling the testicles by means of his teeth. 

 In nearly all foreign countries no lambs are cas- 

 trated in any other way. If a lamb has grown 

 quite old and the cord is too strong to be pulled 

 it may be scraped off back of the testicle; this will 

 prevent bleeding. Whenever possible, castrating 

 the lambs should be done in the morning, and 

 every disturbance of the flock should be avoided 

 during that day. 



DOCKING LAMBS. 



All lambs should be docked, ewe lambs when 

 they are from eight to fourteen days old, and ram 

 lambs from five to seven days after castration. 



