GENERAL PROBLEMS IN SHEEP HUSBANDRY 545 



expect, the lambs do not commonly founder on this heavy, rich meal, 

 tho they often consume 2 to 2.5 Ibs. per head the first day. The second 

 day a little corn is mixed with the linseed meal, and each succeeding day 

 the proportion of corn is increased until at the end of about 2 weeks 

 the mixture consists of 4 parts of corn to 1 part of linseed meal. Rapid 

 gains are produced under this system, but Gramlich found it less eco- 

 nomical and profitable than hand-feeding in trials at the Nebraska 

 Station. 19 



836. Feed racks. In fattening sheep in open lots in the West the 

 hay is often fed on the ground outside the pens, being pushed up against 

 the fence so the sheep can get it. From trials during 2 years Morton 20 

 reports that under Colorado conditions, with lambs fattened in the open, 

 self-feed hay racks accommodating 4 lambs per foot, 2 on a side, saved 

 sufficient hay, compared with feeding it on the ground, to pay their 

 cost in 3 seasons. Hay racks should be so built that chaff and seeds 

 will not fall upon the necks of the sheep, since such material will work 

 down into the wool, injuring its quality. 



Grain and roughage should be fed separately to sheep. If sheep are 

 fed in close quarters, the hay should be supplied daily, since they dis- 

 like provender that has been "blown on," as shepherds say. In feeding 

 sheep in open lots, as is done thruout the West, racks sufficiently large 

 to hold roughage for several days are often used. Grain troughs should 

 have a wide, flat bottom, forcing the sheep to consume the grain slowly. 

 Fifteen inches of linear trough space should be provided for each animal. 



837. Water. Opinions as to the amount of water necessary for sheep 

 vary more than with any other domestic animal. In countries with 

 heavy dews and ample succulent feed in summer, and where roots are 

 largely used in winter, water may possibly be denied sheep, but ordinari- 

 ly it is a necessity, and fresh water should be supplied daily. Because 

 of the danger of infestation with internal parasites, drinking from stag- 

 nant pools must be avoided. On the arid ranges of the Southwest, when 

 grazing on certain succulent plants, like singed cacti, sheep sometimes 

 go 60 days without water. 



A sheep needs from 1 to 6 quarts of water daily, according to feed, 

 temperature and weather. Ewes suckling lambs, and sheep that are 

 being fattened require more water than those being simply carried thru 

 the winter. In trials at the Michigan Station 21 fattening lambs fed 

 grain and clover hay drank 2.8 Ibs. of water a head daily, while others 

 fed roots in addition drank only 1.9 Ibs. One lot, fed all the sugar beets 

 they would eat, with clover hay, drank only 0.3 Ib. a head daily, for they 

 secured nearly all the water they needed in the watery roots. (103) 

 Lambs fed in an open yard required less water than those in confinement, 

 due probably to the lower temperature outside. Supplying lambs fat- 



"Nebr. Buls. 170, 173. 



^Colo. Bui. 187. 



21 Mich. Buls. 113, 128, 136. 



