410 MANAGEMENT ON RANGES IN THE WEST 



Fall and Winter Management. — Fall and winter management 

 may be said to begin when the sheep are moved from the mountains 

 to the plains, an event which usually takes place in the month of 

 October. This is no small task, as often the distance is great and 

 the range or feed along the trail is exceedingly limited. In many 

 cases the trails have been closed and the transfer has to be made 

 by rail. 



At the time the transfer is made surplus stock, such as lambs, 

 cast ewes, yearlings, and wethers are disposed of at shipping points 

 between the summer and the winter range. Upon reaching the 

 plains, the lambs and wethers, should there be any retained, are 

 separated from the ewes preparatory to the breeding season. If 

 advisable, they may all be placed together after the breeding season 

 has closed. 



The Breeding Season. — The breeding season occurs in either 

 November or December on most ranges, although earlier breeding 

 than this is now common in Idaho, ^Vashington, and California. 

 Earns are placed with the ewes at the rate of one and one-half to 

 three to every 100 for a period of four weeks. This period of service 

 makes the period of actual lambing extend over five weeks. The 

 objects in thus limiting the breeding season are to keep the lambing 

 period from extending over too great a time and to have all the 

 lambs of about the same age. 



Care of Rams. — Since the breeding season is a strenuous period 

 for the rams (rams are always called bucks in the West) many 

 owners practice feeding them liberally with grain in order to keep 

 them in fairly good condition and vigor. Often when the ewes are 

 grazing across an extensive plain the rams are shipped to them and 

 when the breeding season is over, shipped back to ranch headquarters. 



Either very cold or very dry weather seems to affect the ability 

 of rams adversely for service. Sheepmen in eastern Colorado have 

 observed that rams will desert the ewes in very cold weather and 

 stand about the corrals in search of feed. 



Men who have used both Merino and mutton-bred rams claim 

 that the latter are the more vigorous in breeding season and capable 

 of more service. Some have maintained that it takes only half as 

 many of them as Merinos for a definite number of ewes. 



Since rams on the western ranges live under hard conditions 

 they are useful in service for only about three years. Except in 

 breeding season, they are run in what are known as buck bands. 



