SHEEP. 1037 



lect dung. It is better every way to have both out-doors. The 

 grain-yard ought to be a separate inclosure from the fodder-yard, 

 with a separate door leading into it. One grain-yard will answer 

 for two or more flocks if the sheep-houses are grouped near to- 

 gether, or the one building is partitioned off inside with hay- 

 racks. In the grain-yard place the troughs around the sides, or 

 set them in rows (with a light slat-fence just above each to pre- 

 vent the sheep from jumping over them). Then the grain can 

 be distributed evenly in the troughs at leisure, the sheep let 

 out, the door closed, and while they are eating, the hay or fod- 

 der can be scattered in the racks in the stable, or the yard also 

 at leisure. 



There are many ingenious contrivances for allowing the sheep 

 to eat the chaff and fine hay from the bottom of the mangers, 

 and for preventing them from thrusting their necks full length 

 into the hay and getting chaff into the wool. I attach little im- 

 portance to any of them. In the first place, the orts ought to 

 be removed every few days and given to horses or cattle, or 

 placed in a separate manger for the sheep, and brined. In the 

 second place, unless sheep are shorn while still on dry feed, 

 what little chaff lodges in the neck-wool from the old-fashioned 

 manger will be worked out before shearing-time by the action 

 of that felting property of the fibers which is designed by na- 

 ture to expel dirt from the fleece. In the third place, if the 

 feed is goo&, sheep will not waste any to speak of in an ordi- 

 nary slaftej manger. To make a good manger, cut hay green. 



A manger for lambs ought to be two feet wide (for grown 

 sheep, thirty inches) ; any length that is convenient, say twelve 

 feet ; at least three feet high (if used out-doors), to keep leggy 

 sheep from jumping into it, and to serve as partitions if needed. 

 Let the bottom boards (end and side) be a foot wide ; the top, 

 six or eight inches ; the four posts, three feet long, three by 

 three inches. Let the slats be of light stuff, three inches wide, 

 nailed on so as to allow fourteen inches for a large sheep or a 

 ewe for standing-room, nine inches for a lamb one slat between 

 each two sheep. Round off all edges to prevent fretting of 

 the wool. 



