Range SJieep 129 



in regular order. The permanent incisors are consider- 

 ably larger than the milk teeth and are somewhat broader 

 in shape. The first pair of permanent incisors appears 

 in the center of the mouth when the sheep is about twelve 

 months old. The next pair appears, one on each side of 

 the first pair, the following year. The third pair appears 

 when the animal is three years old and the fourth pair 

 when it is between four and five years old. This method 

 of determining the age of a sheep is quite reliable, although 

 feeding may cause a little variation in the time at which 

 the permanent teeth appear. 



BREEDING 



Breeding on the range usually occurs somewhere be- 

 tween October first and December first. The exact time 

 depends on the spring climatic conditions. As the ges- 

 tation period of ewes is about five months, breeding should 

 begin five months before the lambs are wanted. The rams 

 are turned in with the ewe band at the rate of about one 

 ram to forty ewes. They are left sufficient time that 

 all the ewes are bred, which is usually from sixty to ninety 

 days. 



WINTER MANAGEMENT 



Sheep-men estimate the cost of wintering, including 

 labor, from 50 cents to $1.00 a head. It is generally con- 

 sidered that the price of the wool will easily pay for the 

 cost of wintering. At the present time, practically no 

 sheep-men attempt to run their sheep through the winter 

 without hay. The amount allowed varies considerably, 

 but usually runs from seventy-five to two hundred pounds 

 a head. One hundred fifty pounds a head would doubt- 

 less be more nearly the usual average. Very little grain is 



