FEEDER SHEEP 



349 



The dressing percentage of animals in the prime grades of un- 

 shorn sheep ranges from 52 to 54 per cent. Very fat animals will 

 dress out as much as 60 per cent, of carcass to live weight, hut 



Fig. 208. — Prime ewes. 



s^^Sr 





Fig. 209. — Common lambs. Thin in flesh, not docked and castrated. (From Illinois 



Station Bulletin 129.) 



when the dressed percentage is this high the mutton is too fat to be 

 used economically. 



Feeder Sheep. — Condition or the amount of flesh is the one 

 thing which determines whether or not sheep belong in the feeder 

 class. When they are too thin to suit the needs of the packer they 



