The farmer and mechanic., 1911-05-30
Farming in Robson

the sheen turning around in it. ant
deep enough TO swim large sheep
| The length of the vat should depend
upon the number OF sheep a mar
Keeps on his place, as the longer the
vat the greater the number or sneeI
which can be dipped in a day There
| is considerable variation as TO the
width of watts found on different farms
and as a usual thing they are wider
than necessary Then, too, the mar
rover the vat the less the dip required
to fill it A vat 20 inches wide al
the top and inches wide at the bot
tom is fair average as regards width
although some very practical sheep
men construct ther vats as narrow
as Is inches at the top and s inches
at the bottom when the vat is 4 feet
deep. The size OF sheep kept on a
farm must, Of course, be taken into
consideration.
The dipping vat illustrated is To-
Gated in the driveway of the hog
house, and can be used for the dip
ping Of sheep and young pigs. It is
built entirely of concrete, the walls
Of which are s inches in width with
the exception of the partition be-
tween the vat and dry chamber, which
has thickness of 8 inches. The end
Of the vat into which the hogs and
sheep are plunged is perpendicular
while the opposite end is provided
creased so that the animal can walk
out. The floor around the end of the
vat from which the sheep emerge is
so graded that ali drippings return
to the vat. There are sewer connec-
tions with this outfit. the valve of
which is located in the dry cham ber
The end of the sewer pipe in the vat
is provided with CRATE and trap so
as to catch bits of wool and droppings
which would otherwise clog the pipe.
The dry chamber allows the atten-
dant to carefully control the dipping,
break up thick scabs with a brush.
and il necessary, help the sheep up
the incline, and also go to the aid of
a sheep quickly If 1t shows signs Of
strangding. A vat Of this kind in
building should be closed. This can
be done by placing 2 by 4 inch pieces
into the concrete 6 inches from the
top Of the floor and feet from the
ends Of the vat-allowance for these
pieces should be made while the vat
is being constructed. They should be
inserted loosely SO that they can be
taken out at dipping time. A niche 2
inches wide and 2 inches deep should
be left at the ends Of the vat and dry
plank on these overlays and on the
inches at the ends, the floor will be
strong enough to hold heavy loads
and be level with the floor of the
building. This vat is inexpensive.
If the sheep are badly afflicted
with Scab, the thick Scabs should
be softened previous to the dipping
of the sheep by pouring some of
the dip on these places and rubbing
them with some smooth instrument,
or the scabs can be softened while
the sheep are being dipped. by rub
b1ng the thick scabs with g. brush.
Care should be taken, however, not to
draw blood, as on coagulation it will
protect the mite from the dip.
Lambs do not need to be dipped
for so long a time as older sheep, as
their wool is short. They are also
more delicate in constitution hence
cannot stand the dipping as well as
older sheep.
Always water sheep before dipping.
otherwise they may drink the dip
which is som etimes found in little
puddles in the dripping pens