164 Sheep-Farming 



be deferred until the fall. The culling of the ewes 

 is equal in importance to the choice of a ram. The 

 fall flock should contain no ewes past breeding age 

 that have not had or raised lambs. Keeping a ewe 

 that has failed to get in lamb in a fair season is a 

 doubtful matter. Such should be in good condition 

 in the spring and can be disposed of then and leave 

 their room for more productive individuals. Two 

 factors determine a ewe's fitness to remain in the 

 breeding flock. The first is the character of lambs 

 she has raised, and the second her prospects for 

 usefulness as shown by age and condition. The 

 Iambs will have been taken away some time previous 

 to the time of sorting out the ewes for breeding. 

 Unless the shepherd is sufficiently familiar with the 

 flock to be able to remember what kind of lamb each 

 ewe raised and how she nursed it, some plan should 

 be adopted to facilitate the sorting of the ewes on 

 that basis. In flocks in which ewes and lambs are 

 numbered and entered in a flock book, it is no great 

 task in going over the lambs to mark the numbers of 

 the poorer ones, and to then make a list of the dams 

 of the cull lambs for guidance in sorting. Ewes with 

 spoiled udders should also be marked for the butcher. 

 The best milking ewes are likely to be lowest in 

 condition, and if appearance and condition are the 

 only guides, the best breeders are liable to be put 

 among the culls and the poorest mothers retained. 

 Age of breeding ewe. — It is generally considered 



