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Show BEDDING OUT SYSTEM OF HANDLING SHEEP ON THE PUBLIC RANGE OODEN, Utah, January 4, 1920. On shep ranges which are properly stocked the principal concern is to employ methods of herdinj? which will tend to distribute the band uniformly over the area instead of massing or bunching it. Range destruction results re-sults through soil packing and the exposure ex-posure of the roots of the vegetation due to the animals being driven in a compact body or allowed to trail over side hills in excessive numbers. Investigations with different methods meth-ods of hnndliriV sheep have clearly demonstrated that the animals do best when allowed to graze at will and bed out wherever night overtakes them. Typical summer range grazed by sheep under fence where the band was not herded at all, demonstrated that it requires from 25 to .r0 per cent less range than where the sheep were handled under the old system of more or less close herding and where they were driven to the same bed ground for several successive nights. The practice of bedding sheep in a new location lo-cation each night is known as the "bedding out" "burro" or "blanket" system. The marked increase in the carrying; capacity of Forest ranges which has resulted largely from improved methods meth-ods of handling sheep, has led many stockmen to adopt the bedding out system. Approximately fifty percent or more of the sheep grazed on National Na-tional Forest ranges are now herded under this improved method. The chief advantage of the bedding out system over the old method of using established bed grounds are: 1 1 ) the band is always on fresh feed. (2) lambs nre not overworked by be-injt be-injt dogged while returning to the bed-ground, bed-ground, (H the range does not become overgrazed through repeated trampling, tramp-ling, (4) less range is required, (5) the lambs weigh between I and 10 per cent more at the end of the grazing season than do lambs grazed on similar sim-ilar range handled according to the old system, and (15) the sheep require less water ns the feed is available in the early morning when the plants are covered with dew. The equipment necessury to handle a band of sheep under the new method is practically the same as that used under the old method with one ec. p-tion. p-tion. Under the bedding out system the herder has a small "tepee" fur use in case of storms wtien it is not possible for him to return to his supply sup-ply or headquarters tent for the night Some herders use a burro or saddle horse to transport their bed and tepee, but this is seldom necessary. neces-sary. In view of the increase in gums made by the sheep and the improved carrying capucity or the range resulting result-ing from the open or bedding out method of herding it is probable that practically all sheepmen will soon adopt ad-opt iln meritorious system |
