eo) ———
Total Per Gent
Lambing Rules

COPYRIGHT 1915

THOMAS BOYLAN

[or oll ——=s0r—S]I9]

pe ary pe

en eee oa
= ‘eS .
5 :

Total Per Cent Lambing Rules

Copyright 1915 by Thomas Boylan

To Those Lambing Ewes:

It is quite impossible to give rules that
will cover each day all your environs, as
shelter, feed and water, help, etc. How-
ever, under ordinary circumstances, the
following will prove successtul:

These pages being written for the one
who would try, it is the object and desire
of the writer to explain to the inexperi-
enced hand, in a plain manner, the work
of lambing sheep, especially under range
conditions. Having made a study of the
work for years, we have seen the utter
impossibility of verbally explaining the
many necessary details to the “new men”

each year. We admit lambing ewes in
large numbers successfully is somewhat
of a fine art, still common sense, patience
and endurance will allow any one adapt-
ed to the care of live stock—which means
a person who appreciates the worth and
meaning of life in any form—to lamb
sheep. Common sense will permit any
one to readily have at least some idea of
the physical endurance, both as to tem-
perature and nutrition, of the animal in
his care. The patience which enables
you to endure the inclemency of any sur-
rounding for their welfare, is also neces-

———

sary, for it, too, prevents that hostile, or
we might say hideous mood of mind
which causes so many people to abuse
live stock when it is absolutely uncalled
fOr:

It should be self-evident to the or-
dinary person that life in its beginning 1s
easily overcome by death; that nature
has endowed man with a higher intellect
that he may care for that life which in
his esteem has sufficient worth to justify
that care. A providing nature has en-
dowed the sheep with many desires and
inclinations, which, while quite clear to
the naturalist, to the casual observer and
shepherd often appear very contrary.
That the sheep is the most contrary ani-
mal, other than the hog, is an assertion
which often comes from a lack of knowl-
edge of its nature.

True, when unintelligently selected
surroundings compel you to howl, whis-
tle, and dog it out of its natural content-
ment, it often becomes contrary, but this
mood is forced upon it by its environs, of
which the barking dog and the unintel-
ligent and noisy shepherd are generally
the greatest fault.

Allow sheep their natural contentment
by leaving them to their own care when-
ever possible. They will then hold them-
selves to the herd and very seldom stray
off. ‘Tending sheep in this manner will
permit them to show you their wants and

©ola410757

——e
necessities. Provide them when you can,
for it pays the owner and always lightens
your work.

Although sheep will soon become used
to the whistling and holloing shepherd,
together with the barking dog, apparently
paying little attention to them, they do,
nevertheless, fret, causing them to
roughen and lose in flesh. We have seen
sheep become so thin by such treatment
that they were actually too weak to fol-
low the herd longer. They will always do
their best to stray away from such sur-
roundings. Sheep know the intelligent
shepherd never whistles, hollos, or rushes
the dog at them unless it is absolutely
necessary, and they very readily mind
such a person.

Surely it is not the sheep that is at
fault when the shepherd selects as their
pasture, during a stormy day, a bleak flat
or mesa, W here the sheep in their discon-
tent are compelled to run around seeking
shelter or to maintain their warmth, vex-
ing the herder, causing him to dog them
severely.

BEGINNING.

Should you have plenty of pasture, put
your dropping ewes upon the lambing
ground 143 days after the rams were first
with them. ‘This gives them a little time
to locate, their dropping time not being
up until the 145th day. If lambing upon
the open range, two or three good, live

aan! ae

men to each 1,000 ewes will be necessary,
while for shed lambing there should be
four or five for that number of ewes. In
each case the amount of help necessary
depends upon the range and method of
lambing. The men should have enough
clothing and bedding to be out 1n all kinds
of weather without chilling. Inform them
that abusing the sheep by using the crook
as a club, dogging, or otherwise, will not
help you nor ease their work in the least.
Truly, the man worth while in a lambing
camp is “the man who can smile when
everything goes dead wrong’”—the man
who sees many things and can find the
time, the way, and the will, to better
them.

Do not bed dropping ewes upon steep
hillsides, where they will cast themselves
during or before lambing. It may often
become necessary to bed small bunches
out by themselves; this gives the coyote
a great chance to do his work. To keep
him and other predatory animals away
during the night, it is well to have fire-
crackers, fuse, or powder, scare-crows
and lanterns on hand. To catch and
chain a live coyote out upon the lambing
ground has been the most effective scare-
crow the writer has ever used to keep
coyotes from the lambing range. As a
disinfectant for bites, cuts, sores and
maggots, have carbolic acid, turpentine,
or some good creosote sheep dip. Mark-

Ss

ing materials are also very handy at times
to mark certain ewes and lambs. The
remedies given here for the treatment of
ailments generally found at lambing time
are not those found at a drug store twen-
ty miles away, but, rather, those camp
necessities which are most always at
hand. ‘They have proven their merit and
can be relied upon.

THE DROP BAND.

Put the best man you have with your
dropping ewes. He should have a cool
temper, good feet, and the will to use
them. FEjach day he should have a sheep
crook and some quarter-inch rope with
him. ‘lhe sheep should have salt or salt
feed enough to be contented. Water
them once a day during dry weather; on
rainy days they will feed better when not
given water. In bunch lambing, where
the new-born lambs are with the drop-
ping ewes all the time, 700 ewes are
enough to the band, while if you lamb
by the dropping system, where you part
the new-born lambs and their mothers
from the dropping ewes several times
each 24 hours, you may have up to 4,000
ewes in the drop band. This is not ad-
visable where your range is closed in or
short on feed or water. Upon such a
range 1,500 ewes are enough to the band.
Have them bedded in the warmest places
at night. In nice weather let them leave

Bey ae

the bed ground as early as possible, while
in bad weather—if you have them on a
good bed ground—let them remain as
long as they wish. Never hold them on
the bed ground in the morning by rush-
ing them back with a dog when they are
ready to leave. By so mixing the ewes
you will “bum” lambs dro pped during
the night. On bad days put them in the
warmest places, behind hills, in high
brush, or any other good shelter you may
have near at hand, which will keep the
new-born lambs out of the wind. During
warm and pleasant days let them out well
in the morning hours, then hold them up
a few hours on good feed, turning them
toward camp and water early in the after-
noon, so that the lambs dropped in the
evening hours will be near camp, where
they will not have to be moved.

Should your range allow you to change
the bed ground each night, while the
lambs are coming fast, it is best to do so.
When the range is so situated that you
cannot move camp each day, compelling
you to move the ewes with lambs off the
bed ground, so the dropping ewes may
bed in the same place again, try not to
move them until about the time the drop-
pers come in around camp in the evening,

say about 4 p.m. Do not move them far-
ther than is necessary to keep them from
mixing with the drop band during the
night. Before the ewes bed down for

=
the night, catch all ewes that appear sick
and have not been on feed or wish to be
alone, not caring to follow the herd
longer. Such ewes likely have a dead
lamb in them. Watch for such ewes
during the day and take the lamb from
them ‘before blood poison kills the ewe.
Safeguard yourself and the ewe, if con-
venient, by disinfecting your hands be-
fore and after doing this.
WORKING THE BED GROUND.

This seems to be a critical time for
many shepherds. Some persons become
greatly provoked trying to hold the new-
born lambs and their mothers apart from
the dropping ewes, as the latter leave
the bed ground in the morning. Shep-
herds who rush among the ewes and
lambs, in order to move the dropping
ewes off the bed ground in the morning,
will make themselves much work, but
will never bring out a good per cent of
lambs, as ewes having dropped their
lambs during the night are always some-
what uneasy and excited when the herd
leaves in the morning. It is indeed the
height of folly to rush among them, caus-
ing them to run away from their new-
born lambs in their excitement. Allow
the dropping ewes to leave at their will;
do not drive them off; all ewes that have
not dropped will follow the herd if you
will only give them time. Should a few

Bee NS

ewes take their lambs and try to follow
the herd, let them go a few hundred yards
before you try to cut them back. Should
there be one or two granny ewes trying
to steal lambs, leave them, rather than
rush among the others. Wait a few
hours until the lambs become dried and
the ewes overcome ‘their excitement, be-
fore working the bed ground.

Allow all ewes that have dead lambs in
them, or those unable to drop their lambs,
to follow the dropping ewes off the bed
ground; then hold up the herd, catch the
ewes and pull the lambs from them. At
this time, also, catch all ewes that may
have left their lambs on the bed ground
and turn them back, so they may pick
them up. Look over the bed ground dur-
ing the day for big-teat ewes, weak and
“bummed” lambs. Should you have any
“bum” lambs, mother them on ewes that
have had dead lambs. It is probable that
the ewes you pulled the dead lambs from
would like to mother the “bums.”

Keep ALL dogs away while working
bed grounds.

GATHERING THE DROP.

Do not’ gather new-born lambs during
snow or rain storms when they are in
good shelter. It is always best, where
possible, to leave the new-born lambs
where they drop the first 12 to 24 hours.
This can be done—where you have them

=

in good enough shelter for the night—by
rounding up the outside of the day’s
drop just a little, then place a tepee with
a lantern in it in the center of the bunch,
a few firecrackers, with here and there
a scarecrow around the outer sides, or
have a man sleep near them to keep off
coyotes. The ewes will generally bunch
themselves by moving up around the
tepee during the night. If they must be
moved to shelter, or for other reasons, let
the men start to move the oldest of the
day’s drop of lambs as soon as the drop-
pers start back toward camp or water in
the afternoon, always moving the oldest
to the youngest when convenient to do
so. Do not allow anyone to move lambs
when wet or too young, unless it is neces-
sary to put them into shelter. In that
case, try to move them before the storm,
rather than after they become wet. New-
born lambs still wet, or having become
wet by storm, rubbing together, some-
times change their scent, so that quite a
number of their mothers become sus-
picious of them and will not allow them
to suck until they become dried, before
which time they may die. We have also
on several occasions seen ewes become
skeptical of their lamb after having
cleaned it, simply because the lamb had
come in contact with the cleanings of
other ewes.

SS e—

When it is necessary to move new-born
lambs, move them slowly and gently to
the nearest good shelter. In no case is it
advisable to carry lambs around in gunny-
sack-full lots. By so doing you are likely

o “bum” more lambs than you save. ‘Tie

or pen all ewes that do not own their
lambs until they do own them. Be sure
you are putting THEIR lambs with them.
When you have placed the day’s drop
in good shelter, when you are most sure
they are well protected from predatory
animals, let them remain quiet for the
night. The next morning have someone
move them to water. Mix them, when
you have to, according to the “table” of
these rules. Do not rush the bunches to-
gether; get them close to one another,
then let them mix themselves. Watch
the badger holes. Lambs generally crawl
into holes during the cool of night, in
hot, sunny days, and during cold, rainy
weather.

MIXING TO MAKE UP HERDS.

It is always best to have your two-year-
old ewes mixed with the older ewes dur-
ing their first lambing. However, this
should be given consideration in the mix-
ing of the young lambs, of which the
followi ing table will give you a very good
idea. Do not drop more at any one place
than the table allows. Should the drop
be heavier than this during the night

hours, cut the drop band in two for a
few days. In the following table we
count ewes only, and it 1s always best
for your per cent to have less if it 1s
convenient to keep them apart longer:

The Table.

Lambs, Mixed twos Old ewes
hours old and older ewes straight

oof ec) ee 120 or less 150 or less
2 | re 200 or less 250 or less
3 days or more. 350 or less 450.0r less

From this time on they should be left
until they are the following age, when
they can be mixed as follows As ewes
know their lambs by scent nae during
the first four to six days, it should be
readily understood that it might become
impossible for the ewe to find her lamb
should you bunch them sooner than
these tables allow, making you many
worthless lambs.

Lambs 4 to 6 days old (youngest must
be 4 days old), 650 to the band.

Lambs 8 to 12 days old (youngest
must be 8 days old), 1,300 to the band.

The above for mixed twos and older
ewes. When the herds are made up en-
tirely of ewes past two years old use
the following table:

Lambs 4 to 6 days old (youngest must
be 4 days old), 750 to the band.

Lambs 8 to 12 days old (youngest
must be 8 days old), 1,500 to the band.

—]|2—

—

These tables should be considered well
any time you do any mixing to make up
herds. Where you have good feed and
water, they will prove very successful.
However, as ewes can and will suckle
their lambs more readily while in small
bands, the development of the lamb will
be much more rapid where you are not
compelled to bunch them too soon. Let
these lamb bunches remain quiet as much
as you. possibly can.°.di your tecdeme
poor around the water and the ewes have
to leave their lambs to find feed, do not
mix sO soon nor so many. It may be
advisable to move the droppers along a
little faster, and by so doing you will
leave more feed behind for the ewes
with lambs.

DOCKING OR TRIMMING LAMBS.

Lambs should be docked when from
six to twelve days old, when convenient
in bands of not more than 700. For sev-
eral reasons it is best to trim them on a
cool day before they move around much
in the morning. Avoid trimming in the
heat of the day. Docking lambs in old
corrals is dangerous, because it is un-
sanitary—many lambs are likely to die
if left standing in old corrals after being
cut at docking time. ‘Turn each lamb
over the fence and out to pasture as you
dock it and you will avoid this trouble.
When you can so arrange, it is best to

leave these trimmed bunches where they
are the balance of the day. At least do
not overheat them by rushing them
around, either before or after trimming.
Let them rest a while.

We have used a knife in tailing lambs
for years, but find they become a few
pounds heavier during the summer sea-
son when seared, so advise the use of
searing tongs to do the tailing. Keep
these tongs red hot, so they will sear and
stop all blood. ‘To sear lambs, the dock-
ing corral is arranged the same as when
you dock with the knife. You simply
have an extra man, who places a stove
or builds a fire to the right of the per-
son doing the ear-marking and castrat-
ing. In this fire or stove the tongs are
kept hot, and as the party doing the
trimming passes the lamb to the right—
the catcher still holding it—along the
cutting board, this extra man has the
tongs ready to part the tails. One heat-
ing of the tongs will sear and part the
tails of four or five lambs. You should,
however, have at least two or three pairs
of these tongs. They are sold at Chi-
cago.

If, after a few days, two or three of
your largest lambs become sick, bleed
them a little by cutting them under the
tail stub. Use a solution of Ioo parts
water to one part creosote sheep dip, or
the same solution of carbolic acid, as a

wash to swab wether lambs. This will
disinfect all cuts and keep flies from
them. You will also save many lambs
that have been snagged, dog or coyote
bitten, by disinfecting them at once, or
within a few hours, with either of these
solutions. In castrating young lambs,
cut the scrotum or sack off about one-
half inch from end, then pinch tight
above the testicles and draw them. Part
the tails at about the lower end of skin
onminside of tail. At this time herd-mark
each full band of ewes and their lambs
distinctly with a separate mark, so they
can be parted in case they mix with an-
other band during the summer season.

PULLING LAMBS—EVERSION OF WOMB.

In pulling lambs from ewes, try to at-
tend to such ewes before the lamb is
dead. Get the legs out first; pull slowly
and be careful not to jerk—you may pull
the lamb bed out of the ewe if you do.
Should you do this, or should you find
a ewe with her womb cast, it can be re-
placed by raising her hind parts and
slowly. forcing the womb back, inserting
the parts until the whole womb is turned
in its proper shape and is in its natural
position. Tie her left hind foot to a
bush, or something, allowing her six to
eight feet of rope; leave her formas
hour, and her pulling will keep the parts
in place until they become set. Where

the parts have become dirty, they should
be brushed clean with a clean brush or
rag. Do not wash with water. Inject
or insert with a soft rag a few drops of
a 10 per cent solution of carbolic acid.
When the lamb is in his natural position
he will arrive with his head and front
feet first, giving the ewe little trouble,
unless the shoulder or withers are ab-
normally large. When the head is swol-
len, or one foot is still back, it is certain
the ewe needs assistance at once. Nearly
all lambs coming with their hind legs or
tail first must be pulled; do this as soon
as you notice it. Never neglect ewes
laboring more than one hour. If they
have not had the lamb in this time, it is
absolutely necessary to take the lamb
from them or it will be dead.

TWINS: THEIR CARE—DEAD LAMBS.

When a ewe has twins and is not
willing or able to care for them both,
try to find a ewe with a dead lamb; take
the hide off the dead lamb by case skin-
ning, cutting the hind legs off at the sec-
ond joint from the foot, then open the
skin between the hind legs, pull what is
left of the legs up through this opening,
then pull the hide back over the body.
Cut off the front legs the same way,
then pull the hide down over the neck to
the head; cut it off there. This will
cover the live lamb all except the head

et ee

and opening you made in taking off the
hide. Over these exposed parts rub the
entrails of the skinned lamb. Do not
make the lamb red with blood, for the
ewe may scare from it. Always put the
hide on the smallest of the twins, leav-
ing the best one with its own mother.
The hide should be left on no longer
than is necessary to make the ewe own
the lamb, which is generally about 24
hours. In real warm weather, when flies
give trouble, it may prove best not to
bother with the hide method, but simply
cut the entrails out of the dead lamb and
rub them well all over the motherless
lamb, so the ewe that had the dead lamb
will take it from the scent. In most
cases where the ewe has not had the op-
portunity of seeing or smelling her own
lamb at birth, she will accept any NEWLY
born lamb the same as she would her
own without using either of the above
methods. Nearly all ewes with much
milk will take to such lambs quickly,
while those with little milk are not easily
“fooled.” By either of the above meth-
ods it is best to keep the ewe tied or
penned until you are sure she does own
the strange lamb. Experienced help will
generally know by the action of the ewe
just when to turn her loose with her
adopted lamb. Still, unless she has good
feed and water while so tied or penned,
she will dry up in a few days, when it

becomes impossible for her to mother
the “bum.” Extra good mothers drop-
ping their lambs near others at times be-
come over-anxious and claim lambs be-
longing to other ewes, making it look
like ‘twins or better.”’ Do not be fooled,
but single such ewes out with their lamb
and put her stolen lamb or lambs with
their right mothers. GET THE RIGHT
MOTHERS. Keep your twinned ewes on
good feed and water, also by themselves,
if you expect them to raise you two good
lambs. At least try not to put them in
large bunches until they are at least I0
or 12 days old.

DEFORMED AND ALKALIED LAMBS.

Most deformed lambs, born’ with
twisted legs, can be cured quickly by
tying the deformed parts as near as pos-
sible in their natural position for a day
or two. Lambs born with their eyelids
too large may be cured by taking a pair
of scissors or a sharp pocket knife and
cutting a small slice or slit horizontally
out of the abnormal eyelid, when they
will shrink nearly to their normal size,
allowing the lamb to open its eyes.

Black alkali is very deadly to sheep,
and especially to young lambs. Its ef-
fects seem to be so sudden that there is
little chance for a cure. Keep the young
lambs away from all alkali beds and es-

=e ss

pecially from black alkali holes during
wet weather.

White alkali is not so fatal, yet many
good shepherds lose lambs by allowing
them to mibble around alkali beds.
Should you have some of these alkalied
lambs or sheep, treat them at once by
giving the lambs one-quarter cupful of
vinegar, followed in one hour with three
tablespoonsful of raw linseed oil. Sheep
should be given one cup of vinegar ancl
one-quarter cup linseed oil. Most sheep
sick from this ailment will have a white
alkali substance adhering to their nos-
trils.

Where a lamb has no movement of the
bowels, give one tablespoonful of mo-
lasses and raw linseed oil, mixed. When
troubled with too much bowel movement,
give one tablespoonful ginger and flour,
mixed, once each day in both cases.

LARGE AND SPOILED UDDERS.

See that all lambs too weak to get up
are suckled. That all ewes with large
udders are caught and milked out. Catch
them without rushing them into a bunch
of ewes. and young lambs. If you can’t,
let them go until you can—watch for this
opportunity. Tie or pen them up until
the udder becomes normal and the lamb
can get the teat without help. Many
ewes having spoiled udders will come to

good milk in a few days, if milked out
well two or three times daily.

When the ewe has a caked udder, or
is troubled with what is commonly
known as “blue bag,” treat her at once—
for she will die if you don’t—by milking
out what you can. Then mix one pint
of coaloil with two gallons of hot water,
wrap the udder with a heavy rag wet
with this mixture; let it remain for ten
minutes, remove, and rub with a mixture
of turpentine and lard, or a weak solu-
tion of creosote sheep dip or carbolic
acid. Repeat this treatment each morn-
ing and you will surely save the ewe in
a few days. Where the ewe has her ud-
der spoiled on one side only, the milk
being good on the other, she is likely to
raise her lamb. However, all these ewes
should be marked, so they may be dis-
posed of in the fall shipment. When a
ewe has “bummed” her lamb becatse
she has a spoiled udder, take the lamb
from her before it becomes too weak,
or dies; find a ewe with a dead lamb,
then try to force the “bummed” lamb
upon her as described under twins and
their care.

TRAILING EWES AND LAMBS—‘RUN-
BACKS.”

Moving ewes and their lambs from
one location to another often brings con-
siderable loss to the owner. Where he

=o

has long drives to get to his summer
range, he is not only ‘likely to lose many
poe but will lose considerable in resh.
Lambs are parted too much from their
mothers, and cannot get enough sleep
while on the trail. The shepherd should
do his utmost and use all the care pos-
sible to avoid dropping lambs behind, ua-
der brush, in holes, or otherwise. “Phe
best of men lose lambs while trailing
from one part of the range to another;
still this does not make it a necessary
evil. With due care this loss cane
avoided. ‘Try to do your trailing in the
cool of early morning and late evening
hours. Move them cently, so most of
the ewes can tote their lambs along by
their side. You will get along quite well
this way, for the ewes will then not trou-
ble you trying to run back to hunt lambs.
Do not overheat or weaken your lambs
by continual dogging. If you must drive
them rapidly, use rattle cans. ‘This noise
will not only keep them on their feet, but
will scare them along much faster than
a barking dog that always turns your
leaders. back on you. Rattle cans will
always startle young lambs out of the
brush much quicker Sune any dog when
it is necessary to move them. Tt’ some-
times takes two or three hours for all the
ewes in a large band to find their lambs
after being trailed. Until these ewes
have all found their lambs there is

—2 [—

—

danger of a “runback” should you leave
them. Ewes will invariably become ex-
cited and run back to where they saw
their lambs last whenever they miss
them. Avoid this extra work, and
the hardship on the ewes and lambs, by
watching them until all the ewes have
found their lambs whenever you have
moved them. losing lambs while trail-
ing will generally cause the ewe to be-
come sick with spoiled udder or “blue
bag.”
ACCIDENTAL MIXING.

We have seen men try to separate ewes
and lambs that have become mixed
through their carelessness, or by acct-
dent, before the boss got around, causing
heavy loss. Warn the men never to try
this; they never, or very seldom, can
patt them straight. In a mix of this
kind—we trust there will not be any—
by all means try to leave the ewes quiet ;
hold them still a few hours, not too
close, so each ewe can single out her
lamb and become contented. This gives
other ewes a chance to find their lambs
without running from one part of the
range to another. When these mixed
bunches are not rushed and_ pushed
around they will likely straighten them-
selves out with as few “bums” as pos-
sible under such conditions. Should a
mix of this kind make more than a full
band, the owner or foreman should put

a light slat corral around the bunch
(this can be done quicker than moving
them to a distant corral), then counting
out the number of ewes over and above
a normal herd. He should spend con-
siderable time watching these ewes call
their lambs out through “lamb holes”
made incall: parts or the coral

MIXING, SHELTER, COYOTES, BADGER
HOLES.

To keep each bunch of ewes and
lambs from mixing with another bunch;
to have them in good shelter during any
storm; to milk out ewes with large teats
and suckle their lambs until they are able
to take the teat themselves, are respect-
ively the most important work for lamb-
ing hands. It will be well to keep the
men reminded that they will do much,
indeed, for you and the sheep by being
“on the job” at all times. The sheep may
need their attention any moment; they
may mix at any time; coyotes are never
all asleep; there may be a lamb in a hole
that should be pulled out before the ewe
loses it; a lamb may have become
clogged behind and need cleaning; an
oncoming storm may make it necessary
to place and hold them in shelter until
it has passed. A live, watchful person
is worth much indeed at lambing time.
A sleepy-head has little value around
sheep at any time.

—23—

FORETELLING WEATHER
BAROMETERS.

Although general storms are expected
by everyone, they are considered an ab-
normal condition. Severity is seldom
guarded against, which has often brought
much loss at lambing time. Such storms
may compel you to make many changes,
depending upon their duration and se-
verity. They will test the quality of
your endurance. Stay with the ship and
save the lambs. ‘The necessary changing
of position may make much extra work
for everyone. Necessity is the origin of
achievement. With your persistent pa-
tience, together with your best mental ef-
fort, you will come out of the storm with
most of the lambs, giving you the baa!
baa! as their thanks. As an illustration,
perhaps the reader may pardon the fol-
lowing true story: Some years ago while
trailing two bands of ewes upon the
desert, we, by mishap, became short of
camp water. However, necessity strength-
ened our observing power, causing us to
find a ledge of rock at the side of which
grew a few wild rose bushes. Here with
no little perseverance we dug until we
found sufficient water for camp, mak-
ing a watering place for others where it
was always thought impossible for water
to be. Who can say, had it been abso-
lutely necessary to water the sheep, also,
that we might not have made a pump out

ALMANACS,

of the stove pipe, a handle out of the
wagon tongue, a trough out of the wagon
box, and with this invention watered the
two bands of ewes also? After many
years of close observation of weather
conditions, during all seasons of the year,
we are able to give you valuable informa-
tion upon the weather you may expect
SOME TIME during the seven days follow-
ing any of the moon’s changes. We can-
not say upon what exact date certain
weather changes will take place, but do
state the weather that is most likely to
predominate during any of the moon’s
phases. When the new moon in any
month comes in upon his back, these
storms will be more severe than when it
comes in standing up. The Indian had
no powder horn. When the moon is
moving from south to north it seldom
fails to bring warmth, while it hardly
ever fails to bring cold weather upon its
return from the north. You should have
a reliable almanac, giving the exact time
of each of the moon’s changes in the
standard time of your locality. A storm-
glass or barometer will keep you posted
24 to 36 hours before any weather
change. This may save you lambs. This
table can be used any part of the year,
allowing for snow in winter where the
calculations foretell rain in summer. If
the new moon, first quarter, full moon, or
last quarter come in during the time

given, the weather most likely to follow
SOME TIME during the next seven days
will be as follows:

12 midnight to 2 a. m.—Fair days, cold
nights.

2 a.m. to 8 a. m.—Cold and rainy.

8 a. m. to 2:30 p. m.—Windy or heavy
rains.

2.40) p.m.'t6-6-p. Mm.

Ain. toy Tap. 10.
nights.

We have found the new moon most
likely to bring an exception to this rule,
still we assure you this table is worth
your consideration during all seasons of
the year. Keep your lambs in shelter
during severe sotrms by reading a good
almanac and watching this table.

Fair and warm.
Fair days, cold

HERDING, DOGS AND FEED.

The good shepherd is not born every
day. A quiet, unexcitable menatl char-
acteristic is the utmost necessity. Ner-
vous, excitable people become too easily
angered; they will wear themselves and
the sheep out with over-work and abuse,
while the overly sentimental person be-
comes too easily disheartened; others
have to do his work while he stands
around telling you in a sorrowful tone
how it broke his heart to see that poor
twin lamb die, during which time other
lambs in his care are dying from his
neglect. He is the first to give up the

a Ga

ship when “everything goes dead wrong.”
Most ewes, and especially two-year-olds,
are very timid and easily frightened from
their lambs when left out by themselves
or in small bunches. For this and other
reasons it is best to have few dogs upon
a lambing ground, especially around a5
dropping ewes. If any, they should |

in care of experienced men only, for
whom they may head off a bad mix or
find a lamb in a hole, etc. Inexperienced
men never watch their dogs close enough,
when the very best of dogs will scare
many ewes from their lambs, even though
they, are not very near them. So if you
can control the bunches without the aid
of dogs, it will always help your per cent
to do so. Again, it will be well to re-
mind the help that they are on a lambing
ground, where it takes much cool temper
and many hard knocks to make things
go right at times. Inform them that it
is not always possible to fatten the ewes
during lambing, so they will not run the
drop band, or the ewes with lambs, all
over the country each day looking for
feed. True, they should be allowed to
scatter and spread over -their allotted
pasture; but we once heard an owner
tell a “new man” to take the sheep out
on good range and allow them to “cover
all the ground possible.” The next day
we met this shepherd (?) about three
miles from his camp, dogging his sheep

from one part of the range to another.
When asked where he was going, he an-
swered that “the boss had told him to let
them cover all the ground possible” and
that he was doing che best he could to
get over all the eround. Needless to say
that the boss 1s the loser when his flocks
are tended in such a manner.

The lamb needs milk, and the ewe
needs feed to produce it, but the lambs
also need much sleep and rest to make
them grow fast. Rather have the ewes
near water and upon less feed until the
lambs become at least ten days old.

SHED LAMBING.

For early or shed lambing the follow-
ing illustrations will give a good idea of
the individual pens, of which there should
be about 70 for each 1,000 ewes. These
pens are about three and one-half feet
long and 32 inches wide. The panels
and gates are 3 feet high and are made
of 1 by 4-inch boards; the panels being
made exactly 7 feet long, and the gates
32 inches wide. At each end on both
sides of the panels is nailed a 1 by 2-inch
strip to space the 4-inch boards, as fol-
lows: Bottom space, 2%4 inches; second
space, 3 inches; third space, 5 inches;
fourth space, 6 inches. ‘To partition the
panels at the center; we use 16 or 20-
foot boards, as follows: Bottom space,
4-inch board notched 34 inch on top

eae

and bottom sides, at each cross section
second space, 4-inch board
inch at each cross section of

of panels;

notched Y

panels; third space, water trough, 4
inches deep, 8 inches wide; fourth space,
8-inch board notched t inch at each cross
section of panel. ‘The panel has a 6-inch

—29—
board nailed upright at each outer end.

This makes the slide for the gate to pass
up and down in, also holding it in place.

On top of the panel notched in 34 inch
is a 2-inch strip passing parallel with the
gates, but over the panels. This strip
stops the gates from falling inward. As

there are no nails used in these top
strips nor in the boards which make the
partition through the center, these pens
are easily collapsed and removed, should
the shed be used for other purposes dur-
ing other seasons of the year. To the
sides are fastened gunny sacks to hold
feed for each ewe. On top at center is
an 8-inch walking board, over which the
attendants may pass without disturbing
dropping ewes in other parts of the shed.
To clean the water trough when it be-
comes dirty there is an endless ™%-inch
rope passing through the trough and
over the pens; to this are attached rags
or gunny sacks, which are drawn through
the trough. Tacked to the top board of
panel in each pen there is a small canvas
sack containing three different colored
small rags or flags to indicate whether
the ewe claims her lamb, has twins, large
udder, or is ready to turn out.

THis PU

This is the lamb wagon, which brings
the ewe and lamb to the shed from the
pasture during the day. It is made of
the same material as the individual pens
above described, placed upon a low run-
ning gear, with a floor made of 14-inch
boards, with a 2 by 2-inch strip along
each side to firmly hold the pens from
any lateral or side motion. ‘There are
seven pens on each ‘side, t4°in all) “io

each gate and over the top and ends of
the pens is tacked heavy canvas to ex-
clude all rains and winds from the new ly
born lambs while they are being hauled
from pasture to shed. U pon the range
the ewe and lamb are sheltered during
storms with a small ‘sheep tepee” until
the “Pullman” arrives, which insures
continual warmth for the lamb until he
is placed in the shed. There is feed for
the ewe in sacks in each of the 14 pens.
Indicating flags or rags are hung on small
nails on each. gate to show the “attendant
at the shed, w hen the wagon arrives, the
character of each ewe, that he may in-
telligently care for her and her lamb at
once. The dimensions are: Length of
floor, 14 feet; width of floor, 7 feet:
length of panel, 6 feet 8 inches: width
of gate. 22 inches; height of pens, 3
feet. This allows each ewe a space 39
inches long and 22 inches wide. Such a
wagon w ill cost complete about fifty dol-
fees, It will do the work for about 2 2,500
dropping ewes, when they are not pas-
tured much more than one mile from the
lambing shed.

The attendants at the shed, after un-
loading the wagon and placing each ewe
in an individual pen, see that each lamb
is suckled; also that the ewe has plenty
of good clean feed and water until she
is ready to turn out and mix with other

ewes and lambs, according to the table
of these rules.
It may be necessary to keep obstinate

ewes, that will not claim their lamb,
penned for three or four days; it 1s not
advisable to hold them longer, as they
will dry up unless you have good milk-

producing feed. Most ewes and their
lambs can be numbered and turned out
in small bunches of say fifty head, after

they have been in the individual pens 24
hours. ‘They can thus be kept in separate
yards around the main lambing shed for
three or more days. Here the attendant

can watch them; should any of the ewes
refuse their lambs, they can be easily
picked out by their number and returned
to the single pen. After the lambs are
four or five days old they can be placed
in bands of three hundred and removed
to other parts of the pasture, where there
is good shelter, or, better, where there
are other small sheds that will accom-
modate such small bunches.

NIGHT WORK.

Some owners have one or two men
working among their dropping ewes all
night when shed lambing. These men
remove the new-born lambs and_ their
mothers from the dropping ewes as soon
as they drop. This method is very hard
on the ewes; it breaks their rest.’ Atter
being worked this way for eight or ten
nights, all ewes not in extra good condi-
tion, together with those heavy with
twins, will become very weak; many of
them will dry up in milk and become un-
able to raise a lamb. A much better sys-
tem is to partition the dropping ewes off
with panels each night when they come
into the shed, allowing about 150 to each
compartment or lot. Thus there will be
but few lambs to care for in each lot in
the morning; these can be readily re-
moved when turning out the ewes. This
permits the ewes to conserve their

strength for the sick spell, with a good
rest at night.

TAGS.

During this lambing the sheep gener-
ally still carry their wool. This often
causes the new-born lamb considerable
trouble. Careless shepherds often allow
lambs to suck tags until they die. It
only takes a moment to remove the tags
from the udder, so watch all new- born
lambs when lambing ‘‘wool sheep” until
you are sure the lamb has found the
teat. Some flockmasters have all their
dropping ewes shorn around the udder
just before lambing sheep with the
wool on.

SALT.

After lambs become two weeks old
they will begin to nibble for salt. If you
do not allow them the salt they will eat
any loose dirt. This may kill a few in
any case. Should your pasture contain
much alkali, or soil containing small
quantities of arsenic matter, you are like-
ly to lose quite a number of the lambs
about the time they begin eating, as they
invariably nibble for a salt substance
first. If convenient, feed the loose salt
in troughs only; otherwise use block
salt. Allow about three ounces per ewe
each week, or roughly speaking twenty
pounds of salt = each one hundred
ewes and their lambs per week. They

—3 Cpt

will require this amount only where they
are on very soft, green feed. Upon the
range, where there is considerable na-
tural salt feed, or the water is strongly
alkalized, they will not consume that
amount. Where they are given salt at
regular intervals there is no danger of
over-feeding. Salt is good for the wool;
it makes good healthy lambs.

CHILLED LAMBS.

Chilled lambs bring “chilled naews
These lambs take the life and incentive
out of many “new men” who stand
around in dejected spirits, while the real
shepherd does much of their work to
revive and prevent chilled lambs every-
where.

There are many ways to revive the
chilled lambs found upon any lambing
ground. Some persons wrap them in a
cloth taken out of hot water. Others
wrap them well in dry rags. Some give
hot milk, whiskey, brandy, etc. Either
of these treatments will generally revive
them. A very simple method is to take
a rag or gunny sack and rub them until
respiration fully returns; rub them quite
dry if wet, put a very small amount of
salt upon the tongue—this stimulates the
heart to action by causing a light general
irritation. When the lamb has enough
life to take milk, suckle it just a little,
not too much; repeat in an hour. When

the tongue of the lamb is still warm he
will surely and quickly come to real life
if you will kindly treat him as described.
Place all such lambs in the best shelter,
where they are out of the wind, and most
of them will be with you when the storm
is over. A little extra work at this time
will always be greatly appreciated by
every one concerned.
THE EARLY LAMB.

As a general thing early lambs are con-
siderably more expensive to the producer
than the late lambs born upon the open
range. The ewes need extra feed through
the winter months, in order that they
may have milk for the young, even
though there is no green grass. Yet in
most cases this extra cost is justified by
the greater value of the lamb at shipping
time. These lambs grow and put on
flesh very rapidly upon the soft young
grass of the early spring months, w hen
their mothers give so much milk. Again,
as most breeders use their oldest ewes or
the ones that they know will need much
extra feed and care through the winter
months, for this lambing, there is an-
other consolation in the fact that should
such a ewe lose her lamb at lambing
time, she, too, will have advantage of that
soft green feed so essential to place old
ewes in good marketable shape at ship-
ping time. Another advantage is that the

lamb can be taken from them during the
summer or early fall months, which per-
mits the ewe to become in good condition
for the next breeding or the following

winter.
SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC.

In docking lambs we have had the best
success when the sign was at Taurus,
Neck. In breeding, we find when the
ewe comes in season or heat while the
sign is at Scorpio and the ram is given
during her first day in, the ewe will pre-
dominate the sex. Especially is this true
when the ewe is somewhat older than
the ram. Should the ram be given when
the ewe is going out, the sex of offspring
will be nearly even.

When the ewe comes in while the sign
is at Aries or Taurus, and the ram is not
given until the second day, the ram will
strongly predominate the sex. This is
also especially true where the ram is a
little the oldest and in a somewhat better
physical condition.

Close attention shows us this law of
nature very clearly, yet we have much to
learn regarding it. Try it next season
when breeding.

We are indeed aware that circum-
stances will not always permit you to
abide by these rules to the minute. Per-
haps they will save lambs even if fol-
lowed only in part. Use them—try them.

Use the same mental effort to keep
you out of MISTAKEs that you use to get
the OTHER FELLOW to straighten them.

In closing, we have tried to make the
wording simple and without too much de-
tail, which might give to a simple matter
the appearance of being complicated. We
would gladly be on the job, to see the:
boys, “the lay of the land,” the feed and
water, or other details. For these, and
to get the most out of your environs, your
judgment i is always essential to bring the
total per cent for which you are working,
and which we so sincerely wish you.

Respectfully yours,
THOMAS BoyLaN.

¥
4
ZT
rat
’
v \
My
‘
‘4
»
“
cS
4
ay
,

7

ae.

eh :

1a
At

Ml hs

4 ian }
roan ‘is

* ge ANY Pah tye
's ry: te
c