118 SHEEP FEEDING 



It is not customary to castrate or dock the lambs that are 

 sold before the last of June. Farmers of this region claim 

 that a ram lamb will weigh from three to five pounds more 

 than a ewe when five months old. If castrated, the five- 

 months-old wether weighs just about the same as the ewe. 

 Inasmuch as all the young stock is sold every year before 

 the last of June, it may be said that these farmers are 

 justified in not castrating the males, but it may be stated 

 without question that it is unprofitable to leave them en- 

 tire if they are kept until older than five months. 



Selling the lambs. It seems hard for some sheep raisers 

 to sell a well-matured grade ewe lamb that would make a 

 fine start in grading up a flock, but when he considers that 

 she will sell for five dollars at five months old and cannot 

 be profitably bred until she is a yearling, he sees that he 

 cannot afford to raise her. A mature ewe that will raise 

 one and maybe two lambs can 'be purchased for less money 

 than the lamb is worth when five months old. 



In some sections the sheep owners have what they call a 

 Lamb-and-Wool Club, which is organized for the purpose of 

 selling sheep products. One of the most successful lamb 

 clubs is run about as follows: There are some eighty -five 

 members, owning near two thousand ewes. The officers 

 consist of a president and secretary, the latter being ex- 

 officio chairman of the executive committee, whose business 

 it is to look after the sorting and selling of the lambs. The 

 first Saturday in April the club has a general meeting, at 

 which time each member tells approximately what number 

 of lambs he will have that will weigh over fifty-five pounds 

 on the day of shipment. In accordance with this estimate 

 the secretary calls for sealed bids from all over the country, 

 stating that the club will have its first delivery of fifteen 



