AMONG THE LAMBS

Shannon News, 15 November 1927, Page 1

AMONG THE LAMBS

METHODS OP MARKING. CLEAN YARDS AND TOOLS. Correct methods of marking 1 the lambs reduce the expenses and minimise the loss following the procedure. It is wise at all times to do tills important work properly. The usual practice is to mark them when from a month to six weeks old Alter this, when they are in good lusty condition, there is a . greater loss- of blocd and growth is more or less checked. At all times care must be, taken, to have the lambs when marked dropped on clean ground, and all the tools used should be sterilised properly in stome antiseptic solution. On no account should the lamb.s be. drafted from the ewes before marking or the ewes kept in a yard and the marked lambs ditopped in among them. It is necessary to have a secure yard largo enough to hold the whole flock. If there is an existing fence it can be used to form one side, a?id it will also act as a wing leading up to the entrance gate. Without'this a wing of wire netting or hesslan must be ei-ected to prevent the lambs breaking away. For catching the lambs, erect an oblong lamb-proof pen, three panels or more long, by rne wide, at the far end from the entrance gate. Provide a, small gate at the end of it count out each pen of ewes after the lambs in it have been marked. The advantage of this is that the lambs are quickly moth ered. kept clean, and soon after the marking is finished every .ewe will have found her own lamb. It is by smell that a ewe first recognises her own progeny, hence the importance of keeping the lambs as clean as possible. To facilitate holding the lambs sttadily, a 6in. plank should be nailed on the middle panel of the catching pen. It is better than the top of a rail.

Always'endeavour" to select a fine day with no wind to mark lambs. A calm, sunry day after a frost is one of the best. The flock should be yarded and thfi work started not later than 10 o'clock. This enables the marking to be completed by naor. or soon after so that the lambs have the 'benefit of the afternoon sun to recover. All ram lambs not prop eriy castrated should not be tailed otherwise they will be a menace to the tliock and later have a depreciating effect hi the value of the weaners they are found in. As soon as fit to be killed they should be so.f.d to the butcher or used for home con sumption. When tailing, so v as to know how many of each sex then, are, the tails of each shiould be put in separate heaps.

-The procedure enables the ownei to know how many ewe lambs ht will have to pick from to replace those culled each year.

When the sheep are yaTded, tc facilitate filling the catching pen there should be a short wing extend ed into the yard. After a few pen* have gone through, the others in tin yard are attracted by the bleating of those already dealt with. They will instinctively draw up, to the catching pen, and are easily yarded. By handling the flock in this mannei the work is done with the minimum amount of knocking about. The lambs to be operated' on should be carefully handled, as theli joints are tender and easily wrench ed. There is a right and a wrong way of catching and holding a lamb. The proper method is to put both hands under the brisket and lift the youngster up to the operator's breast. With the lamb in his arms breast high, the holder grasps the left hind leg first and then the right. By opening his fingers he secures the Cove legs and sets the lamb's rump on the board. Held in this manner, the four legs are in a line with the body: 'By turning the knuckles of each and firmly towards each other no. violent straining is possible and the lamb is in position for castrating and tailing.