SHEEP 181 



wholesome. Water troughs and hay racks should also be 

 scrupulously clean. 



Eradication of Weeds. Sheep are known as weed eradi- 

 cators. They are very fond of weeds but should not be fed 

 weeds exclusively. Because of the liking for weeds, however, 

 sheep are very valuable assistants in cleaning a farm of weeds. 

 They need the minerals found in weeds for the manufacture 

 of wool. A small band of sheep on a farm will more than pay 

 for their keep in this way. The income from the flock may, 

 therefore, all be profit. 



Lambing Time. At lambing time the ewes should be given 

 careful attention. If the lambs come during cold weather 

 the ewes should be kept in a warm place till the lambs are 

 several days old. When the lambs are born they should be 

 assisted to get their first meal. If they get this soon after 

 birth, they will then as a rule take care of themselves. Some- 

 times it becomes necessary to change lambs from one ewe to 

 another if one ewe has triplets and another only one lamb. 

 In such a case, one of the triplets should be taken while the 

 "one lamb" is still fresh and wet and the two well rubbed 

 together. The mother of the one lamb will not then recognize 

 the stranger so readily and will be more ready to adopt it. 

 When a lamb dies a strange lamb is readily adopted by being 

 put into the hide of the dead one. 



Weaning. Lambs should be allowed to run with the ewes 

 till they are three or four months old. When the lambs are 

 weaned the ewes should be kept on scanty dry rations for a few 

 days so they will dry up without contracting udder troubles. 

 The lambs should be well fed on growing feeds, both roughages 

 and concentrates. 



Trimming Feet and Shearing. The feet of sheep should be 

 examined once a year and if they have grown out too long 

 should be trimmed. The shearing is done as a rule only in 

 the spring of the year when the weather is warm. Sometimes 

 sheep are sheared in the fall, but this robs them of their coat 

 which they need for protection and the yield of wool is no more 

 than when they are sheared, only once per year. 



Parasites of Sheep. Sheep are subject to parasites. The 

 sheep tick looks something like a wood tick and affects sheep 



