FEEDING SHEEP 371 



should be given with good pasture or forage. The ewes 

 should lamb ordinarily any time after January first, accord- 

 ing to location, and condition of keep. Lambing is logically 

 earlier in the South than in the North. In and about lati- 

 tude 40 North, many lambs come in February and March. 



Ewes that are to lamb should be accustomed to a vigor- 

 ous outdoor life, and also to clover hay, alfalfa or roots, and 

 little or no grain should be given until about a month before 

 lambing. Even then, if in good form, but quarter to half 

 a pound of grain a day will be necessary, bran or oats, and 

 a little oil cake being very satisfactory. Prof. Frank Klein- 

 heinz recommends a mixture of one and one half part oats 

 and one part bran for ewes about to lamb.* Just prior to 

 lambing, the udder should be closely watched to see that it 

 is in good shape, and any wool that may interfere with the 

 nursing should be trimmed off. The locks about the thighs 

 and tail-head that tend to become foul with excrement, 

 should also be trimmed away. At lambing, the ewe should, 

 if practicable, be separated from the rest of the flock and 

 given quiet quarters where she will not be disturbed and 

 where she may be assisted during lambing, if necessary. 

 Her feed, after lambing, for three or four days may well be 

 a little bran, which is a valuable laxative. After this, in 

 addition to such good roughage as may be available, pref- 

 erably a legume, she may be fed concentrates. Good, 

 bright, well ripened corn silage, not too acid, fed at the rate 

 of 2 pounds a day for each 100 pounds live weight, makes 

 a valuable succulent feed. A grain ration of 1 part shelled 

 corn and 2 parts oats, with 10 per cent linseed cake added, 

 is recommended. The ewe of average size, say 140 pounds, 

 rarely needs over half a pound a day of this grain feed. 



Feeding and caring for the lamb demand most watch- 

 ful attention. As soon as it is dropped the shepherd should 

 see that the lamb is cleaned, especially about the head. 

 Sometimes lambs appear somewhat smothered and lacking 



*Sheep Management, 1911. 



