GENERAL CARE OF SHEEP AND LAMBS 589 



and drought, profitable gains cannot be .expected. This practice is the 

 chief cause of the large number of thin, scrawny lambs which reach 

 the central live stock markets each year. The various pasture crops 

 which are suitable for lambs are discussed in the preceding chapter. 

 (872-6) 



Lambs that are to be marketed at weaning time should be fed concen- 

 trates in addition to good pasture. It was shown many years ago in 

 tests by Craig at the Wisconsin Station 20 that feeding, the lambs suita- 

 ble concentrates before weaning in addition to their mother's milk was a 

 more economical method of preparing them for market than attempting 

 to force them along by feeding the ewes with great liberality during the 

 suckling period. Whether to feed grain after weaning time to lambs 

 will depend on the relative prices of grain and pasture, and on the 

 premium paid for well-finished lambs. From trials at the Ohio Sta- 

 tion 21 Hammond concludes that while grain may be profitably fed to 

 lambs on pasture, the feeding of grain after weaning is not necessary 

 for the economical production of well-finished lambs, if an abundance 

 of good pasture is provided. Ewe lambs to be retained in the flock 

 need no grain when grazing is good. Ram lambs require grain during 

 the fall to secure proper development, whether they are to be sold as 

 lambs or retained till yearlings. 



897. The stomach worm. In the humid districts of the United States 

 the stomach worm, Haemonchus contortus, is a serious menace to sheep 

 raising, lambs being especially susceptible to attack. The eggs of the 

 parasite pass in the droppings of the sheep and are scattered about the 

 pastures, where they soon hatch. Sheep become infested only by swal- 

 lowing the worms while grazing. Fields on which no sheep, cattle, or 

 goats have grazed for a year, and those that have been freshly plowed 

 and cultivated since sheep grazed thereon, are practically free from infes- 

 tation. Old bluegrass pastures are especially to be avoided. It is also 

 dangerous to allow sheep to drink from stagnant pools. During warm 

 weather, otherwise clean pastures may become infested in from 3 to 14 

 days by grazing sheep thereon. 



To remove the worms from the intestinal tract of sheep, various 

 drenches are recommended, that of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture 22 being a 1 per ct. solution of copper sulphate in water. 

 The dose is 100 mils, (cubic centimeters), or about 3 ounces, for year- 

 lings and older sheep, and half as much for lambs 3 months old or older. 

 As copper sulphate is poisonous, the solution must be made up carefully 

 and accurately administered for safety. Another drench often used is 

 1 tablespoonful of gasoline, thoroly mixed with 5 to 6 ounces of fresh 

 cow's milk, with a tablespoonful of raw linseed oil added. This dose, 

 suitable for a lamb of average size, should be increased for older sheep. 

 The drench should be given in the morning, after the animals have been 



^Wis. Rpts. 1896, 1903. 22 Hall, U. S. D. A. Farmers' Bui. 1150. 



"'Ohio Bui. 340. 



