SHEEP. 1015 



stuff I would give them fodder in preference to the best timothy 

 that ever was put into a hay-mow. If I could give only one 

 feed to each I would give the fodder to ewes and the timothy 

 to cattle. Sheep consume fodder almost without waste, even 

 the " thimbles ;" cattle leave a third of it. Fodder in the morn- 

 ing, grain at noon, hay in the evening I consider the perfect 

 ration for sheep. It takes some trouble and time a week or 

 so to train sheep to eat fodder, but the result is abundantly 

 worth the expenditure. 



For ewes in the lambing season the transition from hay to 

 grass is a critical period. If they have not been allowed to 

 range freely on a sod through the winter, the first half-day's 

 grazing on the young and tender grass destroys their appetite 

 for dry feed, and if the grass is not of sufficient body to carry 

 the flock they will fare hardly. Old grass, no matter how 

 abundant, does not impair the appetite for hay. Hence, if they 

 are turned on an old sod or rowen about two weeks before 

 lambing begins, they will continue to relish hay, especially if 

 salt is withheld from them, and brine sprinkled on the hay in 

 the racks. Then, when the grass is well advanced in the other 

 pastures, they may be turned on it and the hay discontinued ; 

 but they should receive the bran and grain ration a week or 

 ten days longer. 



Where a grain ration is mentioned above and elsewhere it is 

 intended for Merinos, with which the writer happens to be most 

 familiar for the larger English breeds it should be increased in 

 proportion to their size, say one-half for South-Downs, doubled 

 for Cotswolds, etc. 



Pure sheep manure trodden solid in the winter does not 

 throw off ammonia to any hurtful extent, but when mixed with 

 hay or straw it does. The shepherd may not be aware of it 

 when he enters the sheep-house, but the animals are. Their 

 nostrils are down close to it. It is not safe to decide whether 

 the stable needs to be cleaned out or not from simply passing 

 through it. The thoroughgoing shepherd will find a way to 

 bring down his nostrils where the sheep are compelled to carry 

 theirs. There he will very soon discover whether the manure 



