Farm Sheep 205 
a good hoof-pincher are best instruments in this case. 
The foot, after having been trimmed with the pincher 
or pruning shears, may be dressed with a good rasp or 
a jack-knife. 
Docking instruments. 
The instruments used in docking are a sharp pocket- 
knife, docking chisel, or docking pinchers. The knife 
needs no explanation. The docking chisel is usually 
made of rather heavy 
iron, and has a broad 
blade and a _ long 
handle. The edge of 
the chisel is fairly 
blunt and in use, the 
chisel is heated to a 
dull, cherry red heat, 
and the lamb’s tail is pinched off with the hot chisel 
against a block, the heat searing the blood vessels. The 
principle on which the docking pinchers work is similar 
to that of the docking chisel; that is, the pinchers are 
so built as to retain heat for a considerable time and 
the edges are not sharp. 
Fic. 22. — Docking Pinchers. 
Ear-labeling punch. 
In a pure-bred flock, 
an ear-labeling punch 
is necessary. Such a 
punch can be procured 
from any stockmen’s 
supply house. It combines a punch to make a hole in the 
sheep’s ear and a pincher to close the label after it has 
Fic. 23. — Ear Labeling Punch. 
