Fatiening Range Lambs in Winter 163 
DIPPING 
It is becoming a very common practice to dip all sheep 
before putting them in the feed-lot. The chief purpose of 
this is to rid them of ticks. If allowed to run out on the 
open range in winter, the sheep are not usually seriously 
troubled with ticks, but if they are crowded together in 
the feed-lots, especially if under shelter, the ticks multi- 
ply with the greatest rapidity, and in a few weeks there 
are millions of them. On this account many of the most 
progressive sheep-men make a practice of dipping all 
sheep before putting them in the feed-lot. 
GAINS 
Lambs fed as outlined above may be expected to gain 
from .2 to .8 pound a day, an average of one-fourth of a 
pound. This would mean a gain of twenty-five pounds 
a head in 100 days. Gains of less than twenty pounds 
during this period are unsatisfactory, asthe lambsare grow- 
ing rather than becoming fat. Gains of over thirty pounds 
are extraordinary and are obtained only with well-bred 
mutton lambs and very choice feed. If the lamb weighs 
sixty pounds at the start and gains twenty-five pounds 
during the feeding period, he will then weigh eighty-five 
pounds, which will be an ideal weight fora fat lamb. The 
buyers like to have the lambs as small as they can be pro- 
cured, providing they are sufficiently fat. About eighty- 
five pounds is considered the best weight, since a lamb 
can easily be made fat at that weight and make it un- 
necessary to hold him until he becomes much larger, while, 
on the other hand, lambs lighter than eighty pounds are 
rarely very fat. 
