248 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



tion of grain will be required than if some other form of roughage 

 is used. Silage has been used to some extent for sheep feeding, 

 but the results have not been uniformly satisfactory. 



Sheep resemble cattle somewhat in their digestive capacity, yet 

 have some essential diJierences. They will not eat as coarse quality 

 of dry roughage, vet they are more liable to grind their grain, and 

 they digest their "^feed more closely. If fed corn stover, the sheep 

 will not eat so much of the stalk and pith as the cattle will. If 

 crushed ear corn is fed, the sheep will pick out the grain and leave 



the cob. 



In fattening sheep, the cost of the feed required to produce a 

 certain gain is usually less than the selling price. In fattening cattle 

 it is usually greater. The cattle feeder usually counts on a margin 

 of a dollar and fifty cents per hundred weight to show profit. The 

 sheep feeder will have a greater profit at a smaller margin. 



The time at which the lambs should be dropped will depend upon 

 the time they are to be marketed. If marketed directly from the 

 ewes, the earlier they are born the better. If intended for winter 

 feeding, they need not be born until the ewes are turned on grass. 

 In fact, it might be more profitable to have them come in May than 

 in April. Early lambs should be taught to creep as soon as possi- 

 ble and be given feed where it will not be accessible to the old 

 sheep. Late lambs will need no grain until the fattening period. 

 They may run with the ewes, provided these are on good pasture, 

 or they may be turned in pasture to themselves a few hours each 

 day. The lambs are usually weaned at four to five months of 

 age. 



Where permanent pastures become infested with intestinal para- 

 sites, it is sometimes. necessary to sow special crops for the lambs 

 and wean them early. Of the special crops, rape is probably the 

 one most commonly grown. ^Even where parasites are not found, 

 it is often advantageous to have a small plot of rape to supplement 

 the regular pasture. It may be grazed continuously or the sheep 

 may be hurdled on a part at a time. When the sheep are turned 

 out the rape will grow up again very quickly, provided the weather 

 is favorable. It will continue this until freezing weather. In pas- 

 turing on rape, it is necessary to watch the sheep rather carefully 

 for bloat. At first it is better to turn them in for a few hours during 

 the day. If they can have rather dry, blue grass pasture to run on 

 at the same time they have access to the rape, so much the better. 

 Soy beans or cowpeas would also be satisfactory as sheep pasture, 

 but the length of the season through which they might be used 

 would be much less than that of rape. Kye and wheat are most 

 excellent early pastures. It is recognized that cattle do not do well 

 on the same pasture as sheep, particularly if the pasture is some- 

 what close. The sheep are inclined to crop the pasture closer, and 

 eat out the fine portions. They run over the pasture and trample 

 over the better grass, making it unpalatable to the other animals. 



The two greatest enemies to the sheep industry are internal para- 

 sites and dogs. In this State probably the Can is familiarus does 

 more damage tlian all the ''■ Strovgyhises''' and ''^Tenias''' combined. 

 The dog question is undoubtedly a serious one with the sheep men. 

 In some parts of Pennsylvania, where at one time sheep were more 

 numerousl;^ kept than in any other part of the United States, thg 



