424 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



greatly irritating the animal, causing loss of flesh, intense itch- 

 ing, loss of wool, and frequently results in death to the sheep. 

 Sheep affected with scab are uneasy, pawing with the foot and 

 biting at the affected parts, which are usually along the neck and 

 shoulders. If such an animal be carefully examined, the wool and 

 skin will appear abnormal at the affected parts. A slight exu- 

 date is noticed which later forms a scab, which rapidly spreads. 

 The mite is transferred from one sheep to another and soon the 

 entire flock is affected. 



Common places for sheep to become infected with the scab 

 mite are in the stock-yards, railroad stock-pens, and in stock- 

 cars, unless well disinfected. As they multiply very rapidly, 

 a few parasites gathered up in this way will soon run through 

 an entire flock. When once the sheep become affected and 

 scabs formed, the disease is hard to eradicate. If taken in 

 time, prevention is very easy. Hence the importance of dip- 

 ping all newly purchased sheep before they infect the farm or 

 the flock. 



The dipping vat. — The nature of the dipping vat or tank will 

 be determined largely by the size of the flock. For a small 

 flock such as is kept on the average farm, a simple trough of wood, 

 metal, or concrete, 16 inches wide at the top and 6 inches at the 

 bottom, 4 feet deep, and 8 to 12 feet long, will prove ample. 

 The vat must be narrow so the sheep cannot turn around ; must 

 be deep so they can be plunged clear under and no spot escape the 

 dip; and the longer the vat, the quicker the dipping can be per- 

 formed, as each animal should remain in the dip at least one 

 minute. The end of the vat at which the sheep enter should be 

 perpendicular, so that they may be made to jump in the dip and 

 thus be completely submerged. At the other end, there should 

 be a gradual incline up which the sheep can walk. Here an in- 

 cHne platform should be constructed, so that the drippings of the 

 dipped sheep may be returned to the vat, otherwise much of the 

 dip will be wasted, particularly if the wool is long. On farms 



