THE RURAL WORLD. THE LAMBING SEASON

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7842, 3 July 1911, Page 2

THE RURAL WORLD.

THE LAMBING SEASON

In about sAx weeks or two ■months' time tho lambing’ season in tlio Wellington province will have properly commenced and flockmawters will bo busy for some time afterwards in attending to ilioir coves. Wo frequently bear of owners being disappointed with the percentages .of lambs that are obtained. There are numerous causes that help to keep down percentages that are to a groo.t extent avoidable. Provided the ewes havo been successfully mated there is no roa50X1 why, under normal conditions, the percentage of lambs should fall bolow one hundred per cent, at docking time* Many tallies show considerably more than that number. On the other , hand many flocks fall far short of that j desirable result. One of tho most com-, mon causes of email percentages is to j ho found in careless liandling of thp flocdc before lambing ciommonoos, and lack of proper attention when the lambs {ire arriving. Many fannors suffer considerable loss through their ewes being roughly handled during crutching time or by their being allowed to crowd each other when being driven tlirough tho yards and gateways. When lambs aro boim dcud this will bo found to be tho principal reason. Even under the beet of management a few' lambs will bo born dead, but if proper care is taken tho mortality from this cause ca.n bo greatly reduced. For some weeks before lambing commences tho slieplierd should bo out almost daily among tho ewes so ns to accustom them to his presence. By so doing his Hook will soon take little or no notice of his appearance. Some owners object to a dog being taken amongst breeding owes xor fear of making them flightened. So long as a dog is properly trained, and can be kept under perfect control he is of great assistance to tho shepherd. If he is allowed to accompany his master in his visits to the Hock tho sheep soon get used to him also. It is the yelping mad-trained dog that does injury to ewes and ho should bo kept strictly on the chain. About throe weeks or a mouth before lambing starts a good plan is to draft the ewes into small paddocks with sufficient food to do them for about six weeks. The remainder of the farm should be shut up and allowed to freshen, so that when the lambs arrive they can quietly separated from the main Hock and drafted into the froah pasture. If this is done every few days tho their ing thou* mothers is lessened and the sihop.l herd will have less difficulty in dealing; with any irregularities that may occui with those remaining. Another advantage claimed fox* this practice is that when a sufficient number havo been drafted out docking operations may bo proceeded with at any time without disturbing the whole flock. It will be found also that, the change of feed will save the lambs, from, being checked in their growth., which is always a serious consideration, especially when it ds desired to get as many as possible away fat off their ersATTENDING THE LAMBS. It has already been mentioned that a large number of lambs are lost through lack of attention. If fanners tedk the trouble to keep a record of all tho lamlxjj that aro bom dead or that die during the first'few weeks .they would be surprised at tho amount of money that has boon lost to them, chiefly by their own improvidence. Iloughly speaking every lamb represents from eight to ten shillings by tho time it is throe months old, Tliovo is no other work on tho &he.'p farm that pays so well as careful shepherding. A man can earn more money among his breeding flocks at this time of the year than at any other. He lias made provision for feeding the ewes and lambs fax* a given time and every death, whether it bo a ewe or a lamb, is a direct loss to him. There is no ffuch thing as dry weather shepherding; the rougher the weather' tho closer the flock should ba watched. It is well known : that atmospheric influences have a pecu liar effect on ewes at lambing; time. A rough, wot night is usually responsible for blunging about a largo number o! births, which under fine weather conditions would have been distributed over several days! Lambs bonx during rough neither —especially in paddocks that have no shelter —arc exposed to many! chances of being lost. If someone is at band to attend them a great many cpjJ be caved. Wherever possible it is de » sirable that tflxo same parson should at | tend the owes all the season, because hj b.-comes acquainted with sheep that re* rjuiro or have received attention, and lift, .mows exactly when to look for them or», his next visit. Dining the early part oil tho season tho careful shepherd pnmj tically lives among his flock. He is aU ways there in. time to give assistance to the ewe if necessary and to look after weak and straying lands which would otherwise bo lost. Large percentages of! lambs and small mortality in owes Invaluably' follow close attention : on tho part of tho shepherd. PERCENTAGES. Speaking of percentages calls to mind different methods aue- adapted in. making calculations. Thoi*o is a great; diversity af opinion as to the basis upon which these calculations are made. It is tho common practice to make the estimates on the number of ewes and lambs that aro living at docking time. Some farmers go further and omit the dry ©was from their calculations. Thus if 150 ewes are put out with tho rams find ten of them die the 1-iO mustered at docking time are held as constituting thei flock. If there are 110 lambs with them! the result is said to be 100 per cant. No notice whatever is taken of the ton dead owes. It is a matter of opinion which is tho correct way of working out a per* oontage, but there can be no doubt that a dead sheep means money lost. If no account be takon of the dead owes, it may Jxappon that tho farm on which the greater mortality occurs will show the best percentage of lambs. It is quite certain, however, that the profits on the season's working will not be, the highest. For this reason published records are often misleading, unless it is statdo upon what basis the calculations are made.