418 



MANAGEMENT ON RANGES IN THE WEST 



lambing period most sheepmen do their best to get a large per- 

 centage of lambs. Still, in all but a comparatively few regions, a 

 large percentage of twins is not wanted because, first, the feed on 

 the range is not plentiful enough to permit a ewe to grow two lambs 

 well and secondly, one of a pair of twins is likely to become lost 

 from its mother through the confusion which necessarily exists in 

 the lambing band. Such a lamb becomes a " bummer " and gains 



FiQ. 231. 



-A permanent lambing camp consisting of a wooden frame and canvas roof and 

 walla. 



a living by stealing from several ewes. It does not develop well and 

 it hinders the growth of those lambs from whose mothers it steals. 

 Last Task of Lambing. — Finishing the docking and castrating 

 is the last task of the lambing period. All the lambs not docked 

 and castrated are gathered together in a corral and handed out to 

 operators, who work on them at a rate of speed which varies with 

 the size of the task and the familiarity of the operators with it. A 

 skilled operator can keep two men very busy catching lambs for him. 

 The testicles and tail are removed in a remarkably short time and 

 the lamb is in a large measure saved from the nervous exhaustion 



