FLUSHING TO INCREASE LAMB YIELDS. 
11 
have a greater rate of loss in twin lambs than older ewes. In most 
flocks, if not all, containing the ordinary proportion of ewes of vary- 
ing ages, the mark can well be set at 150 per cent of lambs in working 
for the greatest net returns. 
Possible disadvantages in twin lambs must come from one or all of 
three causes: (1) Greater rate of loss among twins; (2) slower rate 
of growth as lambs; or (3) inability to reach the same size, weight, 
and breeding value as single lambs. 
As regards the rate of loss, the experience of the Bureau of Animal 
Industry shows no greater losses among twins. In the lambing 
seasons of 1916 to 1920, inclusive, in the two flocks of Southdowns 
used in the experiments a total of 224 single lambs and 290 twin 
lambs was born. Of these 14.3 per cent of the single-born lambs 
died before reaching the age of 2 weeks, and 13.4 per cent of the 
twins. 
COMPARATIVE WEIGHTS OF SINGLE AND TWIN LAMBS. 
Comparative weights of twins and single lambs at six months old 
show that the milk received by the lambs is more important in in- 
fluencing growth than is birth as a single or twin. 
Records of 184 lambs dropped through three different years are 
grouped to show weights attained by both sexes and by single lambs, 
twin lambs, and lambs born as twins but having all of one ewe's 
milk (twins raised as singles) . The weights of the ram lambs include 
3 or 4 wethers. 
Table 6. — Weights of 6-monlhs-old twin and single lambs. 
Singles. 
Twins. 
Twins raised as singles. 
Kind. 
Number. 
Average 
weight. 
Number. 
Average 
weight. 
Number. 
Average 
weight. 
32 
46 
Pounds. 
85.4 
73.8 
45 
37 
Pounds. 
81.6 
67.6 
9 
15 
Pounds. 
82 7 
78.3 
78 
78.6 
82 
75.3 
24 
79.9 
The twin-born ewe lambs averaged 6 pounds lighter at six months 
than those born singles, while in the case' of ram lambs the difference 
was 4 pounds. In the smaller groups of twin lambs raised as sin- 
gles the ewes made an especially good growth, averaging more than 
the single lambs. 
