Show i I I I I HANDLING SHEEP IN COYOTE PROOF PASTURE J F Jardine assistant forester and In foraging grasses has spent the last year ear on the tho Wallowa National fore forest t investigating the best plants and the most perfect ways In Inthe inthe the feeding and raising of sheep Ho HoI Hohas has hns taken careful observation or of the work worle that has been done under his direction and has co compiled some data dala relative to his experIments Handling Sheep In Pas Pac Pasture ture The experimental work on onby b by the forest service acting In cO cooperation operation with the th Bureau of Plant 1 Industry on the Wallowa National I forest for the purpose or of bringing I about a system of oC handling sheep on open range that wilt will result In the tho best utilization of grazing lands closed Oct 1 The studies for fOI this season began In March b by collecting comparative data on lambing ewes under the pre prevalent prevalent valent s systems on outsIde range and lambing in pastures very little attention Following Follow ing the lambing the observations were con continued as far as during the summer In iii order to secure comparative tive data on loss condition of sheep carrying capacity of range and cost for tor handling from rom the beginning of oC lambing until marketing on OIL Oct 1 L This study was wa supplemental to the coy pasture t i which began In Iii Juno and closed Oct 1 Private te Pasture I At the private pasture head or of owes ewes varying ar In age ac from Crom one to nine years were lambed ou on 35 acres I or of land enclosed II ly a woven wire I fence and subdIvided b by rail r i Into five small enclosures The cost of labor during the lambing period i sas only labor of one man I of each day rOl foi one month The band up JI 91 per pel of lambs at the final filial marking They rhey were kept In the pasture until July 22 and with tIme the exception of n a few fow days das the they wore vore herded from irom that unto dato until marketed Sept 13 at which time 92 per cent of lambs were sold The loss was due to coyotes cootes getting gellIng in Into to the pasture and to Lo poisoning The acreage of oC range ranSe used both bolh In Inthe inthe the pasture and during the tho summer did not exceed 50 pOI per cent of oC the amount used by the same numb r of sheep on the outside range This pasture however was too closely The lambs at selling time only an average hunch bunch Data DaLa on lambing for corn com comparative purposes was b by de detailed detailed tailed dally daily observations alone at one lamb I lug ing camp and moro more general data as asto asto to final results at several other camps Under this system two sections of ground are aro I necessary In order to handle the va various a arious rious small bunches The continuous I driving drivins to and from the corrals each eRch I day is much the range the sheep than where the they are un u molested In pastures The work at each of the camps canups required the at a of eight men besides the gen gem eral supervision of one man for each two camps At this rate the cost for or I labor alone was about for each 1100 1000 head of ewes eweR lambed The nUl her ber or of lambs maried up varied JO 90 to 95 per cent Fencing Against Coyotes The pasture fence was vas repaired In iii early May Ia fit at a cost o of ii fOl foi the tho eight miles This repaIr ork was occasioned b by trees falling across fence lemice and h by badgers digging un flit under der the wire and leaving holes No coyotes were found within the enclosure nt after r the fence was wa repaired though tho record of the tho hunter that of th lh range shows that coyotes were at al tho fence nearly eer everY night Tho pasture were from fine t eves find and course coarse wool rams mainly They were lambed between March 27 and 8 On Sept 28 time thc average wol weight ht was 76 pounds a few rew lambs going nR as high ns as a pounds This weight was eight pounds higher than the average weight of the best hunch ot of lambs Jambs on outside ranges near the pas turo ture I Estimating two lambs as the thc I alent of one old sheep the pasture band used I 1 35 acres per head durin during the one hundred days of the meat ment while the hand band on tho range required 2 acres per he head d for the same sarno period It may he be safely mf l stated that thal tho carrying capacity of oC such Buch range the pasturage syi 81 tern will ho bo from 30 to 50 per cent greater than the sheep are herd herded herded ed under the methods In thur vicinity the variation being duo duoto duoto to th the difference In herders herder One energetic man understanding 1 the proposition can probably care for Cor four similar pastures which would mean the handling or of I about head hoad of owes ewes and their lambs Iambs or a total of nearly head hend This fence e ha has proved an efficient 1 protection against coyotes cootes In 1993 1903 the loss from the pasture hand band was waa 12 per cent while the average Icis J from outside bands was about 3 per pr cent In 1909 the pasture loss less than 15 per pel cent while the out side icle loss was from rom 2 to 3 per cent centt At t the close or of seasons 1 1908 JOS and 19 the tho pastured lambs were eight pour 11 I j heavier than the tho lambs from th the I II bands or of the same class or o h a 0 j A jI I I grazed tIme the range near the pC p ture turc The Tho decrease In loss md and the I increase III weight was as secured cacti seaSOn on the acreage per i I head used by an any outside band in the same vicinIty J L T JARDINE Forest Service |