OCR Text |
Show KEEP FARM FLOCK HEALTHY Sheep Thrive Much Better When Their Skins Are Clean Good Dip Also Improves Wool. Dipping Is essential to good flock management. No farmer should attempt at-tempt to raise sheep without planning to dip them at least annually and in most cases twice a year, according to( the advice of H. E. Allen of the Indiana Indi-ana Agricultural college. When sheep are brought to the farm from other flocks, and especially when transported trans-ported there by railroads, they should be thoroughly dipped before allowed to mingle with the rest of the flock. Experience has taught sheepmen that sheep thrive much better when their skins are clean, and it has been clearly demonstrated that a good dip increases the quantity and im-r proves the "quality of the wool. It is Impossible for lambs infested with ticks or other parasites to thrive properly, prop-erly, owing to the constant irritation set up. In trying to get relief lambs often nibble at the fleece and swallow small portions of wool with fatal results. re-sults. A good and regular system of dipping the entire flock is money well expended. Hence most of the leading flockmasters dip twice in the year once in the spring and again in the fall. The object of dipping is to destroy the parasites in the fleece, such as scab mites and sheep ticks and lice, and to prevent subsequent attacks at-tacks from the same. In England, where sheep raising has attained its highest state of perfection, dipping is required by law at least twice a year. While dipping may not be done at any season, it should, if possible, be avoided in cold weather for obvious reasons. The most favorable time for the spring dipping is a few days after shearing time. By this time the ticks will have largely transferred from the ewes to the lambs. At this time comparatively little material is needed. If the flock is badly infested it is Important to repeat the operation in ten days in order to destroy the insects in-sects that have hatched during the interval. The flock should again be treated in the fall, so as to go into winter free from parasites. |