334 PRODUCTIVE FEEDING OF FARM ANIMALS 



butter fat, on the average (p. 206). A common doe will give a 

 couple of pounds of milk a day for five or six months, while a good 

 milch goat will yield three to four times this amount and con- 

 tinue to produce milk from eight to ten months. Goats are easy 

 keepers, they require but little care and attention, and are economi- 

 cal milk producers. They are often spoken of as " the poor man's 

 cow," on account of their low cost of keep and because they are 

 generally kept by people who cannot afford to buy a cow; three or 

 four milch goats will produce as much milk as a good cow; on the 

 other hand, it is stated on good authority that eight goats can 

 subsist and yield a good flow of milk upon the amount of feed that 

 is required for one cow. 14 



Milch goats should receive a supply of good hay, preferably 

 leguminous, such as clover, alfalfa, cowpeas, etc., throughout the 

 year. Fine, bright corn fodder, straw, or other dry feed may also 

 be given in amounts of two to four pounds per head daily, when 

 they are not on grass. Good vegetable kitchen refuse may often be 

 fed to advantage. Oats, barley, and wheat bran are excellent grain 

 feeds for goats, one-half to one pound per head being the average 

 daily allowance. These may be fed separately or equal weights of 

 each mixture. A little linseed meal, two to three ounces a day 

 per head, makes a valuable addition to the ration ; somewhat heavier 

 grain feeding, viz., up to one and one-half or even two pounds per 

 head daily, will pay well during the early part of the lactation, in 

 the case of milch goats of exceptional productive capacity. Pure 

 water and salt should be supplied regularly, as in the case of sheep. 



QUESTIONS 



1. Name the two types of sheep kept in this country, and give the sections 



where each type is mainly kept. 



2. Give several reasons why it is desirable to keep sheep on most farms. 



3. How is the production of wool influenced by the method of feeding 



practised ? 



4. Give the average weight of lambs at birth. 



5. Discuss briefly the method of feeding (a) rams, (6) ewes, (c) lambs. 



6. State the methods followed in fattening ( a ) sheep, ( 6 ) hot-house 



lambs, (c) early spring lambs, (d) fall lambs, (e) winter lambs. 



7. Give the principal methods adapted in fattening western sheep. 



8. State the value of the self-feeder in fattening sheep. 



9. Name the two types of goats kept in this country, and state in what 



section each one is most important. 



10. Give the method of feeding goats generally found in your locality. 



1 1. What relation have goats to forestry work in this country ? 



12. How much milk will an average milch goat produce in a year, and what 



is the quality of the milk compared with cows' milk? 



13. Why is the goat called " the poor man's cow "? 



14 Thompson, " Angora Goat Raising and Milch Goats," p. 200. 



