Rearing the Lamb. 



81 



need be feared from loss of blood. Older sheep 

 than lambs can be very successfully docked with 

 pinchers. While it is perhaps a little painful for 

 the lamb at the time, if done rightly not a drop of 

 blood is lost, and after a few hours the lamb jumps 

 and runs about as if nothing had happened to it. 



PLATE 27. The proper way to hold a lamb while it is being docked 

 or castrated. 



The pinchers can be heated nearly red hot in a 

 common stove or in a blast torch, such as the tin- 

 smith uses. Nine to ten lambs can be docked be- 

 fore heating the pinchers a second time. This 

 method of docking is a great relief to the shep- 

 herd, since he does not need to worry for fear any 

 of his lambs will lose too much blood and die. It 

 also does away with all the squirting of blood over 



