WESTERN SHEEP

[Music] [Music] [Applause] since time immemorial sheep have provided man with food and comfort since the days when Shepherds tended their flocks on the hills of Judea their meat has fed him and their wool has clothed him because the animals have consistently supplied these human necessities man learned centuries ago that it was greatly to his advantage to improve their quality and productivity and so from the days when Shepherds watched by night until our own time the raising of sheep has developed to such an extent that we now speak of it in terms of sound investment good business and quality production many western range sheep are crosses improved types combining the best qualities of numerous breeds that reach their present-day perfection in types like this little fellow who traces part of his ancestry to Spain as does this highly bred merino Ram famous for his fine wool and herding instinct both transmitted to the many crosses utilizing this breed he and his French brother the Rambouillet where the original producers of fine wool and for this reason have been used extensively in crossbreeding this is the Columbia one of the more popular Western breeds originated by crossing crossing is done to increase production of both meat and wool another Western breed originally obtained by crossing is the kora do the Southtown one of the five breeds first developed in the gently rolling country or downs in southern England another is the supper and this is a fine specimen of purebred animal with the Shropshire Oxford and Hampshire they form a group known as the down breeds the turkey is a polled breed with an open-face the Mauna Dale is one of the later developed breeze this fine hampshire is a good example of the contribution of the purebred breeder to the sheep industry many breeds have been developed through crossing in the Sheep man's ceaseless effort for improvement in quantity and quality of both meat and wool this effort will be carried on by Future Farmers of America here being instructed by a vocational agricultural teacher and here is Mary and a great big Ram she's grooming him for a show and Mary like other 4-h club members is learning the practical aspects of animal husbandry sheep must graze well to keep in conditions so good teeth are essential this land has a full mouth of milk or baby teeth this 4 year old has a perfect mouth with permanent teeth this broken mouth you will have difficulty and eating the successful sheepmen follows a continual program of culling his flocks and using high producing Rams one calling operation is done before shearing and is carried out in this temporary Corral on the range views that produce no lambs or whose meat or wool production has become impaired are removed from the band this expert employs but a glance and a quick feel of the wool to determine the animals condition sheep to be culled are marked for identification [Music] at the dodge gate the calls are separated to be disposed of later the good quality animals are saved for the breeding flock the importance of culling at frequent intervals cannot be overemphasized the flowers that bloom in the spring mean lambing time the success of which also has a definite bearing on the sheep man's income the earlier the Lambs are born the better prices they will bring on the early market but at this time the lingering cold of winter produces the need for warmth and shelter and care for the new arrivals this small tent is easily carried to out-of-the-way locations it keeps out the wind holds the warmth of the Sun and helps to retain the mother's body heat until the lamb is strong enough to stand up and take its first warm meal the need for nourishment may be new but it's urgent after the shelter tent has served its purpose it is quickly folded and is ready for the next brush call on the range the canvas roof over this lambing shed is removed after lambing is completed hems are cleaned and the Sun and elements sterilized the shed before is used again the shed is the sort of improvised dormitory with separate stalls or room it's where mothers and their offspring are afforded protected privacy for the first few hours of the Lambs life this cleverly constructed trailer is al ambulance the top sections open up for easy access and double hinged partitions separate each family while cribs are provided for the land the shepherd's crook of ancient times is still in use today the mother you is carried up the ramp and placed in her custom-built compartment Hey don't forget me [Music] and thus each little bundle of valuable merchandise is carefully gathered up and along with its watchful mother is carried away in the Shipman's miniature pullman to the shelter and care of the centralized blamming sheds which is headquarters for lambing operations [Music] at the lambing sheds chilled or we clams may be saved by placing them in a lamb brooder an hour or two and it's warm interior usually revives them and restores their chances for survival this little fellow having gained his strength already has a new outlook on life and will soon be returned to his mother while the new Lambs are gaining strength they spend the first 3 to 24 hours in individual pens with their mothers then they are placed with other pairs in groups of from 10 to 20 this is a sort of conditioning or socializing process permitting use to give their lambs proper care before going on to the range in larger numbers twins are a common occurrence and they perk up profits in from two to four weeks the Lambs tails have docked this is done with either a searing iron a knife or with its illustrator it is used to put a special elastic band on the tail which shuts off circulation causing the tail to wither and drop off castration may be done with the illustrator at the same time so that they will be easy to identify the Lambs are branded during the lambing season the user fed an additional ration of concentrates this builds up the animals after lambing stimulates the flow of milk and conditions then for the summer months ahead run sheep run is the game they like to play when the goal is pellets of dehydrated alfalfa the spread of food keeps the ewes contentedly occupied nearby until the Lambs are released and here they come mother's mothers everywhere but not a drop to drink until they find the right one during the first couple of weeks the mothers know their lambs by scent after which they identify them by the sound of their bleat when the chill of winter is gone and the use no longer need their heavy coats they are ready for shearing most large operators own their own shearing sheds and employ sheep shearers who migrate from one ranch to another during the shearing season this is another operation that causes sheepmen to reflect upon their possibilities for profit the Skillshare has removed the fleece in one whole piece which will weigh from five to twenty pounds with an average of about ten pounds a good place is not only a milestone of success in a breed improvement program but is also concrete proof of the economic results of careful collie each fleece is tied separately with paper twine the twine has no fibers to become mixed with the wool it is then trapped down into burlap bags that hold from 25 to 40 fleeces and weigh about 300 pounds they are raised mechanically and the tops are sold they are then lowered onto hand trucks and after dating and weighing they are marked for identification [Music] finally the bags are loaded onto motor trucks and haul to the local warehouse or rail head here the wool clip is loaded into waiting freight cars the doors are closed and sealed to ensure security and another clip of wool is on its way to market [Music] back at the ranch the use whose brands went with their wool must now be rebranded [Music] the news are released after the rebranding ceremony [Music] the Lambs to leap for joy having been kept in holding fans during the interim they are turned loose to join their mothers and the two groups meet in a sort of family reunion the flock is then counted and turned out on the early spring range to graze in freedom once again this established fence trail is a sheep Highway to the mountain country where the grass is green when the lowland Grange is dry out it seems to say come up higher and the Sheep will as they follow the forage with the changing season up the green slopes - final summer grazing in the mountains the camp tender with his pack string carries supplies for the herder who goes with the flock - tendon guard them while they feed and fat until the fall this trail is part of the program for moving sheep from one range to another on and up they go following the rise of rugged terrain with a fixed and steady purpose the search for good feed and summer range they reach a high plateau and while a herder and his dogs prepare to camp for the night the Sheep spread out to forage for their evening meal of mountain grass with the Rising Sun they hit the trail again to higher ground and breakfast each stop for food arrests finds them farther away from home and wherever possible they nibble as they go and gradually gain in weight and covering of wool here and there the hurt is spreads a ration of salt as a necessary part of their diet always must be be alert to protect his flock not only from attack by predatory animals but from eating poisonous plants only a few of which are shown here this is halogen which is fatal to sheep if eaten in sufficient quantities the same is true of local weed and water hemlock [Music] the growth of Morning Glory our noxious but non poisonous weed can be [ __ ] by grazing a small band of sheep on it like these on this Western farm a farm flock will vary from just a few head to several hundred their upkeep is economical because waste byproducts and wand'rin feats can be fair they also assist in maintaining soil fertility here they are seen cleaning up a field of grain stubble while this farmer is harvesting his crop of sugar beets his flock of sheep do their bit and at the same time gain substantial nourishment from the beet tops left on the ground [Music] in the shadow of this sugar factory these sheep find an important item of their diet is sugar beet fall a relatively cheap local feed while these fellas content themselves and please their owner by keeping down the growth of high grass and weeds along irrigation ditches these ditches not only hold a plentiful supply of irrigation water but also provide an abundance of drinking water for sheep in some localities where water is scarce man must resort to the digging of wells to supply it at any rate regardless of cost fresh water is a prime essential for the health and growth of sturdy plots watering troughs should be well constructed built for the animals convenience and be easily accessible at all times streams running through rough terrain can be utilised to the Shipman's advantage if brought under control the water can be used to grow grass and increase the grazing capacity of his land [Music] by employing this method of water control along with reseeding this land has been brought back to a state of lush productivity sufficient to sustain this band of sheep improved quality of grazing land leads inevitably to flock improvement programs this fine flock on this mixture of grass and legumes reflects the owners pride in his stock and in Islam we're natural rainfall warrants it gentle slopes can be receded with adapted grasses and legumes to increase the carrying capacity of the range this is a lamb Creek the small openings permit lambs to enter but keep out use inside they're fed a palatable ration they're also given mixtures of whole or old grain to develop them for the early market special attention is given to the feeding of breeding animals here they receive a supplement to their winter rations consisting of grain or other concentrates this new tray enables the Sheep to eat from either side of the plate and here's another adaptation of the same idea [Music] this commercial feedlot where Western grown feeds are used to fatten western grown lambs for market is well planned and constructed for the convenience of both sheep feeders and animals the ingeniously contrived gate facilitates ease of operation in opening and closing and is particularly adapted for handling sheep time or labor saving devices usually gain the approval of sheepmen the West over the sheep industry is confronted with the problem of controlling external and internal parasites high-pressure spraying of insecticides is used to control external parasites internal parasites attacking the digestive tract of the animal are controlled by drenches or licks of salt and phenothiazine this is one of several sheep ticks it sucks the animals blood causing it to become irritated and lose weight lice and mites affect the sheep in the same manner these insect pests caused the sheep man considerable financial loss if not controlled dusting the animals with powerful insecticides is also practiced with good results however sheep scab is best controlled by dipping an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of lime it sweetens the soil and destroys the breeding places have troublesome pests the United States Department of Agriculture after years of experimental research has succeeded in producing open-face news from a breed of sheep that were wool blind a clean faced animal produces annually about 11 pounds more lamb than the wool blind view with no loss in the wool yield compared this open-faced view with its unobstructed vision with is almost full blinded you which has difficulty in finding its food and this will blind ram with its open-faced brother selective breeding gave this RAM an open face and also eliminated his horns branding paint has always been a problem in preparing wool for use in fabrics samples of cleaned and unclaimed wool the old type of paint was used on this wall the new paint on this the old paint must be removed manually at considerable expense granted with a new paint this wall is clean sheep black people will usually follow a leader therefore this method of trailing them is used extensively this flock is beginning the first stage of its journey to market sometimes the sheep are taken to commercial feed Lots to be fattened before making the trip and some are marketed as grass fat lambs those shown here were grown on mountain range and will probably go direct to market so they are placed temporarily in this holding Corral from which they are soon loaded into trucks which will carry them to the nearest shipping point on the railroad great care is exercised in all plants of operations to prevent damage or loss [Music] arriving at the shipping point the sheep are unloaded they descend one ramp across a holding pin and ascend another ramp to the waiting cars if necessary they are rested fed and watered before being loaded note the palm frond this man uses to prevent the slightest injury [Music] the car doors are closed and sealed and powerful engines built for the modern combination of speed and safety begin the hall to the feedlot or sheep market one of the great American institutions that represent our system of free enterprise the stockyards here the sheep are sorted and sold and the sheepmen receives the well-earned profit on his investment of money time and careful planning to produce a product that helps to build and clothe the bodies of our people [Music] yes the little bands have sheep the travelers see browsing in the yellow light of early morning in the Glens and on the hillsides or in the waning dusk of day are only a fraction of the 25 million sheep that produce more than 40 thousand car loads of lamb to feed our people and over 5000 car loads of wool with which to clothe them these are the results of a great industry that owes its success to modern methods and the untiring efforts of the rancher in the breeding and raising of Western sheep