FEEDS FOR SHEEP 565 



861. Timothy and other carbonaceous hay. Hay from timothy and the 

 other grasses is much inferior to legume hay for feeding all classes of 

 sheep, as has heen pointed out previously. (857) As such hay is low in 

 protein, some protein-rich concentrate, like linseed meal, should always 

 be added to balance the ration. Even then, however, the gains of fatten- 

 ing lambs will be much lower than when legume hay is fed. 



Timothy hay is unsatisfactory for sheep, being both unpalatable and 

 constipating. The dry heads of this grass work into the wool, irritating 

 the skin, lowering the quality of the wool, and making shearing difficult. 

 (312) 



Marsh hay is too coarse and woody for sheep. Bluegrass hay and 

 bright oat straw are preferable to either of these hays. (311, 328) Mil- 

 let hay in a trial at tne Michigan Station 62 by H. W. Mumford proved 

 poorer than corn stover or oat straw. More care was necessary in feed- 

 ing this hay than any other coarse fodder, as it induced scours unless fed 

 in limited quantity. (317) 



Western prairie hay, tho more palatable than timothy hay, is much 

 inferior to alfalfa hay. (857) In trials during three years at the Uni- 

 versity of Alberta, Canada, 62 * by Dowell, Bowstead, and Flack, oat hay 

 proved somewhat superior to prairie hay or timothy hay for fattening 

 lambs, and but slightly inferior to alfalfa hay, when fed with a concen- 

 trate mixture furnishing plenty of protein. However, for wintering 

 pregnant ewes fed no grain, alfalfa hay was decidedly better than timothy 

 hay, prairie hay, or oat hay, the last giving the poorest results. 



Sorghum hay or fodder ranks with corn stover, the value depending on 

 its fineness and leanness. 



862. Corn stover and corn fodder; straw. Bright, well-cured corn fod- 

 der or corn stover is preferable to timothy hay for feeding sheep. (302-4) 

 By far the best results are secured when these forages form only part 

 of the roughage and some legume hay is fed in addition. For example, 

 in a trial at the Oklahoma Station 63 by McDonald and Malone, lambs 

 fed about half corn stover and half alfalfa hay for roughage, along with 

 shelled corn, made nearly as large gains as others fed all alfalfa hay as 

 the roughage, and required only 5 per ct. more corn and 3 per ct. more 

 roughage for 100 Ibs. gain. 



Straw should not be fed as the only roughage to sheep, as it is low in 

 nutrients and, moreover, is constipating. A limited amount of straw, 

 especially oat straw, may often be used economically as part of the 

 roughage, along with legume hay and silage, or legume hay without 

 silage. Coffey 6 * concludes that if straw of good quality is available at 

 one-third the cost of legume hay, it will pay to feed some of it, even 

 if given no oftener than two or three times a week. Thus fed, it fur- 

 nishes a helpful change which stimulates the appetite of the animals. 

 Experienced Michigan sheep feeders give oat straw at one feed and 



"'Mich. Bui. 136. "Okla. Bui. 78. 



^information to the authors. "Productive Sheep Husbandry, p. 383. 



