1904.] Navel III or Joint III. 



2. At the end of the lambing season the straw should be 

 stripped from the hurdles and spread with the floor litter 

 over the yard and burnt. If for any reason this cannot be done 

 the litter and straw should be mixed with lime and soil and 

 made into a compost, which, however, should be used on arable 

 land and not on pasture. The hurdles should be thoroughly 

 scraped and washed with lime wash, to which 5 per cent, of 

 carbolic acid has been added, before they are used for other 

 sheep. 



3. As each lamb is born its navel should be dressed with 

 some antiseptic and astringent lotion of diluted carbolic acid or 

 ointment. This would kill any germs, and also cause a slight 

 swelling which would hasten the closing in the navel. 



4. It is the custom in this district to trim the tail of the sheep 

 and hind legs after lambing. This might be done with advan- 

 tage before lambing, for the long wool is matted with faeces and 

 mud, and harbours germs which are a constant danger to the- 

 lamb when it is in contact with it during parturition. It may 

 be thought that if this wool is clipped before lambing the ewe 

 will catch cold, but if it is trimmed a week before lambing, as 

 is done in the majority of counties, the ewe is far less likely to 

 catch cold than if she is trimmed and turned out immediately 

 after lambing. There is no necessity to throw the ewe to do 

 this ; one man can hold her head while another trims. 



5. Shepherds, in addition to ordinary washing with soap and 

 water, should be careful to disinfect their hands after difficult 

 cases, especially after handling a ewe with a dead lamb inside 

 her, or one which has any discharge. Shepherds' hands and 

 nails should be carefully washed, brushed with a disinfectant 

 solution, such as 1 part of carbolic acid to 20 parts of water. 



6. Dead lambs should be buried or burnt, or taken away 

 whole without being skinned. If dead ewes must be skinned, 

 they should be skinned by someone who has nothing to do 

 with the healthy flock. Dogs should not be allowed to eat 

 dead ewes or lambs, as they may be the harbourers of various 

 parasites. 



7. Lambing cords, india-rubber feeding nozzles, and sheep 

 halters should be boiled or disinfected occasionally during the 

 season. 



I 



