FEEDING SHEEP 225 



Wool and Mutton. The food consumed by sheep 

 is used for both flesh and wool. Hence, these ani- 

 mals have a double requirement to meet. Wool con- 

 tains much nitrogen, and a slightly more liberal 

 supply of protein is demanded than for either swine 

 or beeves. Sheep, too, are very active creatures; 

 their body surface is proportionately greater than 

 that of beeves. Because of this they require more 

 food, proportionately. 



The larger breeds of sheep require about one 

 pound of digestible protein to eight pounds of starch 

 equivalent, the smaller breeds slightly more. The 

 wool growth becomes less active as the food supply 

 is reduced, but if more food is given than the ani- 

 mal has use for, the rate of wool growth will not be 

 increased. 



Relative Economy of Sheep, Steers and Pigs. 

 Compared with swine, the sheep does not render 

 quite as good an account of its food as does the pig ; 

 in fact, it requires nearly twice as much digestible 

 organic matter to produce 100 pounds of gain. 

 While this is true, it is not to be forgotten that much 

 of the sheep's provender is in the form of hay or 

 other roughage and of a nature that the pig could 

 not use. Pigs demand easily digested food, and that 

 largely in the form of grain. From the point of 

 profit, therefore, the sheep is not at a disadvantage 

 at all. 



Compared with steers, sheep have slightly the 

 better of it. Nearly 50 years ago Lawes and Gil- 

 bert determined that, covering a whole fattening 

 period, a steer, to produce 100 pounds of increase, 



