126 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA. 



three months, he had better dock and castrate 

 them. Tails are unnecessary appendages to a 

 modern sheep and are apt to become fouled. 

 A docked lamb has a squarer look and seems 

 fatter than one with a tail. What blood goes 

 to nourish a useless tail would add to the 

 growth of the rest of the body no doubt. Dock- 

 ing may be done at a very early age, within 

 ten days after birth if the lamb is strong, and 

 there is then slight shock. They may be sev- 

 ered with one stroke of a sharp knife, (cutting 

 from the under side) or by use of a mallet and 

 chisel, but a better and safer way when pure- 

 bred and well fed lambs are docked is by use 

 of hot docking pinchers. These are readily 

 made by the country blacksmith. They are 

 shaped' like large shoeing pinchers only mucli 

 heavier and with a wider opening to admit 

 any tail, for sometimes one will wish to dock 

 a mature sheep or cut off a scrotum from an 

 old ram. They should be thin at the edge but 

 not very sharp and thick back of it to hold the 

 heat. The manner of operation is to have a 

 board with a hole bored through it of a proper 

 size to admit the tail of the lamb. This board 

 protects the adjacent parts against the heat of 

 the pinchers. They are heated to redness and 

 quickly sever the tail which will not bleed a 

 drop. Some disinfectant is then applied and 

 the lamb let go. After jQiies come one must 

 watch that the stumps do not become infested 

 with maggots ; there is no other dahger. Pure- 

 bred and well fed lambs will sometimes bleed 

 to death when their tails are cut with knife or 



