SUPPLIES 



247 



ings " and is inclined to wander wherever its legs will take it. It is 

 such an awkward little thing that the ewe has difficulty in getting it 

 to nurse and in protecting it. It is likely to be bunted over or 

 trampled by other ewes, oj it may creep under a trough or through 

 an opening and become chilled. Should the ewe have two lambs 

 they may wander apart so that she cannot give adequate attention to 

 either. Under these circumstances she tends to abandon one and 

 give her undivided attention to the other, the result being that the 

 shepherd has a disclaimed lamb to deal with. Thus it is apparent 

 that the small enclosure, known as the lambing pen, is effective 

 because it keeps mother and offspring together. It is effective also 



Fig. 166. — An open-shed type of shelter with lambing apartment for cold weather. (From 

 Kentucky Agricultural College.) 



because it directs the attention of the shepherd to the ewe and her 

 lamb, should anything be wrong with them, more quickly than if 

 they were with the whole flock or a portion of it. And if they need 

 his special attention he can care for them more easily when they 

 are in the lambing pen (Fig. 167). 



How long the ewe and her lamb should be left in the lambing pen 

 depends on the readiness with which they become accustomed to each 

 other and on the strength of the lamb. As a rule they can be placed 

 with the other ewes and lambs when the lamb is three or four 

 days old. 



Supplies. — There are a few drugs and appliances which should 

 be secured before the lambing season starts. The more important 

 drugs are carbolic acid or liquid sheep dip, to be used as a deodorant 

 and disinfectant; epsom salts, castor oil, and raw linseed oil, to be 



