Fattening Range Lambs in Winter 163 



DIPPING 



It is becoming a very common practice to dip all sheep 

 before putting them in the feed-lot. The chief purpose of 

 this is to rid them of ticks. If allowed to run out on the 

 open range in winter, the sheep are not usually seriously 

 troubled with ticks, but if they are crowded together in 

 the feed-lots, especially if under shelter, the ticks multi- 

 ply with the greatest rapidity, and in a few weeks there 

 are millions of them. On this account many of the most 

 progressive sheep-men make a practice of dipping all 

 sheep before putting them in the feed-lot. 



GAINS 



Lambs fed as outlined above may be expected to gain 

 from .2 to .3 pound a day, an average of one-fourth of a 

 pound. This would mean a gain of twenty-five pounds 

 a head in 100 days. Gains of less than twenty pounds 

 during this period are unsatisfactory, as the lambs are grow- 

 ing rather than becoming fat. Gains of over thirty pounds 

 are extraordinary and are obtained only with well-bred 

 mutton lambs and very choice feed. If the lamb weighs 

 sixty pounds at the start and gains twenty-five pounds 

 during the feeding period, he will then weigh eighty-five 

 pounds, which will be an ideal weight for a fat lamb. The 

 buyers like to have the lambs as small as they can be pro- 

 cured, providing they are sufiiciently fat. About eighty- 

 five pounds is considered the best weight, since a lamb 

 can easily be made fat at that weight and make it un- 

 necessary to hold him until he becomes much larger, while, 

 on the other hand, lambs lighter than eighty pounds are 

 rarely very fat. 



