42 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



red clover. I feed them nearly all they want, and I don't want the 

 lamb too large when it is born. There is danger in too much bone 

 development, i want those ewes to be well nourished all winter 

 long, but not fattened; and I want them out dooi's every day, so they 

 may have a great deal of exercise, and shelter whenever it rams. 



Now, our barns — you know in this country you can't keep sheep 

 without barns; they are so well ventilated, just like being out of doors. 

 We have doors with hinges on the top; we lift them up, and the air 

 just goes through; just as well ventilated as out doors. Let those 

 sheep have just all the fresh air they want; that is the way to keep 

 them healthy and strong; never, have any cold, or anything of that 

 sort. How about the little lambs after they are born? The time to 

 feed a lamb is when he is a baby. So when our lambs are born, as 

 soon as they are a week or ten days old, we teach them to eat for 

 themselves. We have a little lamb corner in the barn where the lambs 

 can get into; a sort of a fence, just so the lambs can run through. 

 In there we put the little troughs in which we put the wheat bran. 

 Wheat bran is a mighty good thing, with a little cracked corn. The 

 next thing is to get the lamb to eating it right away; they have to 

 learn this. We take two or three little fellows, treat them kindly, 

 and go in there and hold them and restrain them gently; take a little 

 of that feed and put it in the lamb's mouth, and when he will get so 

 he can eat, he will bring all the rest. We find the best feed for the 

 lambs when they are yet babes, to be equal parts of wheat bran and 

 cracked corn, with about ten per cent of oil meal. And then we give 

 them always all the alfalfa nay they want; all the good, bright corn 

 fodder they want, and an ear of corn — you know they love ear corn. 

 We give them the cracked corn; we give them the cracked corn and 

 put some ear corn in there too. Pretty soon the little rascals begin 

 to shell off the grains; they will eat more ear corn than shelled 

 corn. We have oh the farm to-day something over 1.400 older lambs; 

 they are all eating ear corn. They like it better than shelled corn. 

 I am just telling you this to give you a little pointer. 



What about these ewes with lambs? Now, we castorate them when 

 they are young, not over ten days old. We cut their tails off while 

 they are young also. There are several ways you can do that. These 

 two little things are to be attended to while the lambs are young or 

 else there is quite a loss. 



You cannot have any profit in ewes that are ticky. Once a year we 

 put everything on the farm through the dipping vat; it only takes a few 

 minutes. Then when we shear them we take pains to cut that tick in 

 two. I used to love to shear at home. If a man uses the shearing 

 machine he cannot get the ticks all off. 



Now, when the grass comes, about the time the lamb is born, it 

 I was ranching or farming in Iowa, I would have them born in March 

 or February, probably, and let them run around and take their ease 

 until the grass begins to grow. Then I would shut them up in the 

 vard and wouldn't let them out until the grass is really good. Why? 



