144 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



square it will accommodate 50 lambs very nicely, as 

 they will not all be in it at one time. It should be 

 separated from the ewes' part of the barn by a 

 fence of vertical slats, spaced about 8 inches apart, 

 the slats with rounded edges. This will permit the 

 lambs to pass in and restrain the ewes. After a 

 time the lambs will need some wider openings and 

 then if small rollers are put in to permit them to 

 squeeze between all the better. 



In the creep there must be some flat-bottomed 

 troughs in which to feed grain and a hay rack for 

 alfalfa hay, or clover if that is the best at hand. The 

 troughs must be low to permit young lambs readily 

 to reach them. As lambs delight to get their feet 

 into troughs they must be covered. To accomplish 

 this let the end of the trough be a solid board 12 

 inches wide and extending up 12 inches above the 

 sides of the trough, pointed at the end like the gable 

 of a house roof, and put on this two boards like an 

 inverted V. This makes a steep roof to the trough 

 and effectually prevents the lambs getting their feet 

 into it. 



This cover is readily lifted off when grain is put 

 in. Attention to such small details as keeping 

 troughs clean is essential to success in feeding lambs. 

 Their sense of smell is acute and they discriminate 

 sharply against anything but clean, fresh food. 



The first feed to put into the trough may be wheat 

 bran. Scatter a trifle in the bottom and sprinkle it 

 with brown sugar. If the lambs do not find it read- 

 ily, take one up gently, not to frighten him, and 



