The best method of docking is to use a hot pincer, such as the 

 one shown in Fig. 15. A common blacksmith's pincer will do as 

 well. These pincers should be red hot, and the t/il "seared off one 

 inch from the base. A shingle with a hole large enough to pull the 

 tail through should be placed up close to the body of the lamb, to 

 protect it from a possible burn. Ten lambs can be docked in rapid 

 succession with one heating of the pincer. This method prevents 

 all loss of blood. 



Pruning shears, a block and a chisel, or a comon knife, may be used 

 in cutting off the tail. With all of these instruments a considerable 

 loss of blood results. 



Feeding Lambs Prior to Weaning. 



Lambs bring the highest prices in the early season ; therefore, 

 they should be marketed early. If lambs are fed grain while on 

 pasture before weaning, they will make greater gains and carry a 

 higher finish. When the lambs are weaned they should be sorted out 

 with reference to sex, the ram lambs and ewe lambs being placed 

 in separate pastures on which the breeding flock has not been kept 

 that season. Grain-fed lambs do not suffer a set-back at weaning 

 time. 



Shearing. 



Sheep that are sheltered at night should be shorn in April. The 

 ewes are thereby able to resist the effects of exposure when placed on 

 permanent pasture for the summer. The work on the farm is not as 

 pressing during this month as in May. Too many ewes are not shorn 

 until the very hot days of summer. A heavy fleece is a burden to the 

 ewe in hot weather, and results in a lower milk flow. Newly-shorn 

 ewes should not be exposed to cold rains, damp quarters or hot sun. 

 Sheep may be shorn with hand shears or a sheep-shearing machine. 

 The shearing machine is preferable because the wool is shorn closer to 

 the body, the sheep is less restless, the wool is freer from "second 

 cuts/' and for the average shearer it is easier and more rapid than 

 handshearing. However, for either very early or late shearing, the 

 objection may be raised that the shearing machine cuts too close. It 

 is not advisable to wash sheep before shearing, as was the practice 

 formerly. Fleeces should never be shorn when wet, as such wool 

 will mold. 



If a clean, smooth floor is not available, a platform 10 x 10 feet rais- 

 ed one foot off the ground, provides a space for shearing a sheep with a 



55 



