178 Western Live-stock Management 



ram to be a satisfactory breeder should be at least one year 

 old before being used. Ram lambs may be used to a very 

 limited extent but with the average breeder this is not ad- 

 visable. However, when ram lambs are used they should 

 be early lambs and well grown, and should not be allowed 

 any more than about ten or fifteen ewes during the season. 

 Ram lambs used excessively are very likely to become non- 

 breeders later in life and thus the period of greatest use- 

 fulness would be lost. It is not advisable to give a year- 

 ling ram too free a run in the beginning. Two-year-old, 

 three-year-old, and four-year-old rams need less attention. 

 Possibly a two-year-old ram is the most satisfactory for 

 breeding purposes, at least breeding records kept at 

 various experiment stations indicate this. Often a 

 breeder can purchase a tried ram and secure him very 

 reasonably when the former owner wishes to dispose of 

 him to prevent in-breeding. A ram of this kind very 

 often proves to be a bargain. In selecting such a ram, 

 one should be sure that his mouth is sound. In a small 

 flock, one ram can be used for only two seasons. On a 

 larger flock, where more than one ram is used, he can be 

 kept a longer period without in-breeding. 



The ewe. 



With ewes, as with rams, the ideal form is desirable, but 

 in the case of the ewes this is much harder to obtain than 

 with the rams. The ewe's work of reproduction soon 

 spoils the beautiful lines that she once had and for this 

 reason one should not lay too much stress on the form to 

 the exclusion of other qualities. The ewe, like the ram, 

 should carry as much breed tj^pe as possible. Large roomy 

 ewes, possessing a considerable degree of the dairy type, 

 raise the best lambs. Very often the barren ewe presents 



