59 



born until the ewes go to their winter quarters. The lambs then 

 entirely escape the stomach worms and they can be gotten to eating 

 grain younger. The only special treatment I have found necessary 

 to induce the ewes to breed is such care as will insure improvement 

 in condition. They do not need to be fat but should be GETTING 

 fat. Indeed 1 have found it advisable to put the ewes on a very 

 light, dry ration as their lambs are slaughtered so as to reduce their 

 condition. Then remove their fleeces with the first settled warm 

 weather in April and turn upon good pasture. 



I endorse the recommendation given on page 6 in reference to 

 breeding but it is hot always practical to remove the ram every 

 morning and return him to the flock in the evening. You can 

 change rams once a week, or if rams are cheaper than your own 

 time place two with the flock at once. Jealousy will incite them to 

 watch the flock closely. This of course is hard on the rams and rec- 

 ommended only as an expedient. At this point re-read the chapter 

 on Summer Care of Pregnant Ewes. As the lambs appear remove 

 them with their mothers from the main flock. With the Dorset and 

 grade Dorset ewes, if they should have but a single lamb their ud- 

 ders will need to be watched for the first week and surplus milk re- 

 moved. There will nearly always be some lambs in the flock that 

 will need it and will quickly learn to take it as shown on page 42. 

 As soon as the lambs are taking all their mother's milk feed the ewes 

 to produce all the milk they will take. The ewes need a milk cow's 

 ration. So long as the grass remains good supplement it with corn, 

 oats or barley and wheat bran. Or substitute for the latter three 

 gluten feed in small quantity. It is worth about twice what wheat 

 bran is to feed in connection with corn and should be mixed with 

 corn in proportion of one to two. 



The lambs will begin to eat at about three weeks of age, some 

 of them younger. There is nothing they like better than cracked 

 corn and wheat bran. We occasionally add to this combination, 

 oats, barley or gluten meal or feed. A variety induces them to eat 

 more, and the more the better at this early age. I have never 

 known one to over eat. We formerly used a self feeder, that is a 

 trough so devised that the feed becomes accessible as fast as eaten, 

 but have discarded it as the feed was liable to become foul. We 



