614 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



bands at this time, it would be an easy 

 matter for the lambs to become sepa- 

 rated from their mothers. Where they 

 are thus separated for 24 hours, the ewe 

 frequently fails to recognize and own 

 her lamb. This is not only a serious 

 matter from the standpoint of the lamb 

 but also on account of the ewe whose 

 unmilked udder may become perma- 

 nently injured thereby. At the end of 

 a week or 10 days the small lambing 

 bands are brought together into a herd 

 of 2,500 to 3,000. At this age the lambs 

 are ready for docking, castrating and 

 marking. From now on the lamb band 

 may be driven to greater distances from 

 the home ranch. The increase in the 



fall, that is, when three to six months 

 old. The ewes at this time are nearly 

 dry and require but little or no atten- 

 tion when the lambs are separated from 

 them. At weaning time ewes and lambs 

 are put in separate bands and kept far 

 enough apart so that they do not hear 

 each other bleating. 



The bucks are maintained in separate 

 bands of from 50 to 1,000 or more until 

 the season of service. In Montana and 

 Wyoming they are turned in with the 

 ewes about December 1, which brings 

 the lambing period in May. Farther 

 southwest they are turned in earlier; 

 about one buck is provided for each 50 



Fig. 381 — SHEEP SHEARING PLANT FOR 30 SHEEP 



flocks under western conditions varies 

 from 50 to 100 per cent, averaging about 

 80 per cent. Single lambs are pre- 

 ferred to twins under range conditions, 

 since the ewes frequently fail to own 

 the second lamb, which necessitates 

 bringing it up as a "bum" lamb. These 

 lambs have to be brought up on a bot- 

 tle or an ewe must be caught and held 

 for them until they learn to steal milk 

 from other ewes. Where possible, of 

 course, they are given to ewes that have 

 lost lambs. 



The lambs are not usually separated 

 from the ewes until the bands return 

 from the summer mountain range in the 



Winter feeding on the range — At the 

 present time the most cautious sheep- 

 men provide considerable forage for 

 winter use. Of the cultivated forage 

 crops, alfalfa is by far most commonly 

 employed. It cannot be grown, however, 

 under ranch conditions, except by irri- 

 gation. On the better lands it may be 

 grown and stacked for 75 cents to $1.25 

 a ton, while its feeding value is from $5 

 to $7 a ton. Some sheepmen raise from 

 100 to 1,500 acres of alfalfa yearly, and 

 feed it during the winter. Usually 

 three crops are obtained, which necessi- 

 tates a continuous haying from June 

 to October. 



