PART III. 



THE DISEASES OF SHEEP. 



The diseases of sheep, says Walley, are usually caused 

 by an altered condition of the blood, namely, deficiency 

 in quantity, excess of normal elements, impoverishment 

 and degradation, depraved condition, &c. In-breeding is 

 a predisposing cause of disease. The rams should be 

 changed every year or two. Fatigue, clipping, and ex- 

 posure to cold wind (sufficient to cause a chill) induce 

 congestion of the lungs. Sheep can stand almost any 

 degree of cold alone, but they cannot stand cold and wet 

 combined. This is especially true of lambs. Cold and 

 moisture arrest the secretion of the yolk or greasy matter 

 exuded by the skin, rendering the wool dry and harsh 

 instead of greasy. 



Avoid overfeeding and sudden changes of food and 

 management. Also the procreative exhaustion of the 

 rams and the excessive excitement of the ewes. Also 

 filthy, decaying, moldy, or frosted (frozen) food and im- 

 pure water. Also overforcing the fattening process, es- 

 pecially with such foods as Waterloo cake, cotton cake, 

 turnips, and swedes. 



The sheep, like the ox, has four stomachs. The fourth 

 is the true digestive stomach, This complicated digestive 



