Dec. 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of NS.W. 909 



I cannot give exact figures, but in a rough way I consider that I have gained 

 enough experience in keeping breeding ewes to make all the difference between 

 success and failure. In my first year I had 217 two-tooth second and third cross 

 Lincoln Merino ewes. This flock was mated with Lincoln rams, and until after 

 they lambed they had fair feed and were in good condition. Out of the 217 

 ewes I marked only 140 lambs. The ewes were watched carefully and only 

 two ewes had any assistance, and ho ewes died ; as far as I know every ewe 

 had a lamb, but in some cases the ewes were in trouble half a day or more 

 before the lamb was born, the lambs being fat and large — in fact, they appeared 

 to me to be a deal larger when born than when two days' old. Several were 

 bora dead, and the balance died wheji a day or two old. 



Seeing a farmer who had a dry area close by with lambs that seemed a long 

 way more robust and larger than mine, and finding that he had had very few 

 deaths and had marked 100 per cent, on grass feed in the good years, I 

 inquired and found that he had used. Border Leicester rams. After taking 

 stock of other settlers with Lincoln cross lambs and comparing them with the 

 dry area Border Leicester lambs, it seemed to me, other things being equal, 

 that this was the best class of ram for lamb-raising. 



This year (1920) I mated 130 four, six, and eight-tooth erossbr-^d ewes with 

 Border Leicester rams, and also bought 100 more ewes that were in lamb to 

 Lincoln rams. These ewes lambed at the same time as the original ewes, and 

 although I could not keep them separate I know that the ewes that had 

 Lincoln cross lambs had a long way more trouble lambing, and in several cases 

 had to be assisted, whereas in not one case did the ewes with Border Leicester 

 cross lambs require any assistance, and. on the contrary, seemed to labour 

 very little at all when lambing. Only three Border Leicester lambs died at 

 birth or after, while several of the Lincolns died at different times. 



The Border Leicester lambs without exception seemed a skinny lot and not 

 much to look at, but after a few days they st^irted to fill out, and so far have 

 not looked back. Out of the 240 ewes 200 lambs are alive, with a few to come 

 yet, and I am confident that if all the ewes had been mated with Border 

 Leicesters I could have kept considerably more lambs alive and had a better 

 l>ercentage. The ewes mated with Border Leicester rams had twins in several 

 cases and reared them, but not in a single instance did the ewes mated with 

 Lincoln-cross rams have twins. 



As these ewes were yarded every day and night, I had every chance of seeing 

 how they fared. The flock was grazed for half an hour to one hour on lucerne 

 and green oats twice each day, and kept condition well, no deaths occurring, 

 and as ^ach ewe lambed she was turned out on green wheat, oats, and barley, 

 doing well there until the rain came and gave feed on the dry areas. 



One great point that has struck me is the saving of feed that can be effected 

 on a small area of lucerne or other green stuff by letting the ewes (provided 

 they are in fair condition and sound mouthed) have only their fill morning 

 and night, and yarding them the rest of the time. If, on the other hand, they 

 were allowed to' run all the time on the same feed it would not last a fourth of 

 the time. This, of course, applies to ewes in lamb ; once the lambs are dropped 

 the ewes must have good feed, and as much of it is they can eat, or there 

 will be trouble. 



Now, I would like to say a few words about foxes. The first few lambs 

 that were born were healthy and strong, but each morning one at least had 

 been killed, and only the tongue taken out by a fox. I laid baits in the latest 

 known wav. but the fox did not touch them, though he still killed the lamb.s. 

 Then I reiid that a farmer had been successful in preventing these losses by 

 tying a strip of tin round the lambs' necks. I tried it on all the lambs that 

 were then alive, and on the first night the fox took the bait, and so ended his 

 career. I have continued putting the tins on each lamb, night and morning^ 

 as they are dropped, and to my knowledge not one lamb has been killed since 

 by foxes. 



It is understood that a fox always upsets a lamb first and then catches hini 

 by the throat, but with the tin collar on, the fox cannot bite the lam!) ^* throat 

 in time to stop it from bleating; as soon as the lamb attracts atten on bj 

 bleating the fox becomes frightened and gives it up, and proceeds to anothei 

 flock that has no protection. 



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