LECTURE LI. 



FEED, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE RAM DURING 

 THE BREEDING SEASON. 



The ram is at least half the flock and often more because 

 of his purer breeding, and it behooves the breeder to treat 

 him with the respect his value justifies. To do good service 

 in the breeding season he must be in good shape at the be- 

 ginning of the same, and it will not be amiss to re-emphasize 

 the necessity of this. The breed-ram should have as good 

 quarters during the winter as any of the ewes; should be 

 allowed plenty of exercise and should be kept in a strong, 

 vigorous, fleshy condition on corn, bran and oats or feeds 

 of a similar nature; and should be carried through the sum- 

 mer season in the same general manner. So cared for he 

 will be strong and vigorous when the breeding season be- 

 gins, will be "surer," and much more active. He should not, 

 however, be so fat as to be sluggish. 



When the breeding season is fairly on and the ewes have 

 had ten days or two weeks of "flushing," it is time to think 

 of breeding. Two general policies may be pursued. If the 

 ram is a valuable one, and has many ewes to serve, he should 

 not be allowed to run with the flock, but should be kept in 

 during the day in a comfortable shed. At night, when the 

 flock is brought to the barns, a well grown, vigorous ram lamb 

 should have a band of canvas belted round his middle so 

 that he cannot possibly serve a ewe and should be turned 

 out in the ewe flock. He will quickly hunt out the ewes that 

 are in heat, and the shepherd should be at hand to place 

 them in a separate pen; frequently three or four ewes will 

 be found to be in heat. After the lamb has had time to hunt 

 the flock well over, he should be removed, and the breeding 

 ram turned out with the ewes that are in heat. He should 

 not be allowed more than one service to each ewe and the 

 services should be at least thirty minutes apart, especially 

 if several ewes are to be bred. A mature ram, in vigorous 

 condition, if handled in the manner above described, should 



