368 



Missouri Agricultural Report. 



no milk. When I have to do this I take fresh cows milk and add 

 one-fifth water and feed quite warm. Be sure the bottles are 

 absolutely clean and sweet. 



Often you find mothers that give more milk than the lamb 

 can use and I find if this surplus is not milked out you are apt to 

 have a dead lamb. 



Then again, you will find a chilled lamb occasionally. I find 

 a bath in fairly hot water in connection with just a little mother's 

 milk has given the best results here. 



I casterate my lambs when from seven to ten days old, pro- 

 vided the weather is suitable. Never allow them to get larger than 

 you possibly can help. I cut off the end of scrotum and draw out 

 the testicles, cord and all. 



The docking is done about the same age by means of a docking 

 pinchers, heated red hot, so this does away with the bleeding. I 

 prefer a tail docked rather short. 



At first I did not dock or casterate either, but soon saw the 

 casterated lambs did better, very often brought more on the 

 market and then you can hold them over if you wish, but an un- 

 casterated lamb must go to market rather early. 



For the first ten days after a ewe gives birth to a lamb I in- 

 crease the root and bran ration some, but thereafter, I gradually 

 increase the feed until I am feeding ^ lb. bran, i lb. oats, ^ lb. corn 

 and i lb. roots (turnips). 



I get the lambs to eating grain as soon as possible and have a 

 lamb creep, in which I have a ration of equal parts of corn, oats 

 and bran. The roughness consists of clover hay and they also 

 have access to the winter pasture. I also manage to have about five 

 acres of early rape on which I finish the lambs in connection with 

 the above grain ration. I do not let the mothers run on the rape. 



The following weights show the gains these three lambs made, 

 white faced lamb on left of picture : 



