﻿THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. 31 



There are a number of good reasons for docking a lamb, any one of 

 which would warrant the operation. Practically the only use of the 

 tail to the sheep is to protect the rearmost parts from flies. Docking 

 is a cleanly practice ; undocked sheep become very filthy and are likely 

 to become infested with maggots. ,They bring a lower price upon the 

 market because of the dirt and manure they carry and because of 

 their uneven appearance. Docked lambs appear more blockly, and 

 ewes that are docked are served by the ram more readily than un- 

 docked ones. The operation should be performed when the lambs 

 are from 1 to 2 weeks old. Only winter or "hothouse" lambs, or 

 those sold early, should not be docked. 



Methods. — Hot pincers, pruning shears (see fig. 6), a sharp knife, 

 and a chisel and block are all used in docking. Pincers (see PI. Ill, 

 fig. 2) are made especially for this purpose and are heated to redness 

 before being used. On the ranges, where there are several men to 

 catch and hold the lambs, from 15 to 35 tails can be docked with one 

 heating. Reasonable care should be exercised in using these instru- 

 ments. The principal advantages in their use are that the work is 

 quickly and neatly done and that there is no loss of blood. Once 

 this system is adopted no other is likely to be practiced. 



Pruning shears are quite frequently used in docking and are 

 satisfactory, especially when the lambs are docked young, before the 

 wool has attained much growth upon the tail. The knife is the most 

 common docking instrument upon the farm. The main objection 

 to its use is that it may cause excessive bleeding. The chisel and 

 block are used to a limited extent. 



GRAIN BEFORE WEANING. 



Usually lambs will begin to nibble grain along with their mothers 

 when from 10 days to 2 weeks old. The amount of grain and the kinds 

 that should be fed before weaning will depend upon the purpose for 

 which they are intended. Hothouse lambs should be forced as 

 rapidly as possible, hence should be given all the grain they will 

 consume. Such feeds as corn meal, cracked corn, oats, bran, middlings, 

 and oil meal are most commonly fed to this class of lambs. Corn 

 should comprise a large part of the ration. 



Spring lambs for slaughtering purposes should usually be fed 

 heavier than those intended for the breeding flock. The Wisconsin 

 station found that lambs fed grain from birth attained a given weight 

 from four to seven weeks earlier than those receiving no grain before 

 weaning, and required no more grain for the same amount of increase. 

 Higher prices are usually obtained for lambs early in the season, and 

 where the lambs have been fed grain from birth they are usually in 

 higher condition and can be sold at any time when market conditions 



