CHAPTER XIV. 



SECTIONS OF THE FLOCK. 



Composition of the Flock. The previous chapters have been 

 devoted to matters which have an important bearing on sheep 

 management, and they should be sufficient to enable the reader 

 to follow with ease descriptions of systems of management which 

 will be given in the subsequent chapters. The most important 

 sections of sheep farming are included under the following headings : 



Management of Ewes. 



Management of Lambs. 



Management of Stores and Wethers. 



Management of Fattening Sheep. 



These are subject to many subdivisions, and an endeavour 

 will be made to lay before inexperienced sheep -keepers the work 

 of the flockmaster from day to day and from season to season, 

 according to the systems of farming which may be practised. As 

 grass sheep-farming is not so complicated a calling as arable sheep - 

 farming, attention will be mostly directed to the latter, especially 

 as the proper management under this heading includes most of 

 that under grass-farming. 



Under ordinary circumstances a flock is composed of ewes, 

 lambs, store and fattening tegs, a few rams, and wethers. The 

 ewes are regarded as the scavenging portion of the flock, as, except 

 at lambing time, they clear up behind other sheep, and are run as 

 inexpensively as possible consistent with their healthy maintenance. 

 Lambs which are to be fattened off as fat lambs, or tegs, are kept 

 on the best and freshest food, and generally receive cake or corn in 

 addition. Ewe lambs to go into the flock are not forced, but are 

 kept on sweet fresh food. Where an endeavour is not made to get 

 out sheep until they become wethers, they are not fed highly or 

 expensively kept until some little time before they are fattened out. 

 A chapter is devoted to the management of a show breeding flock, 

 and it will be better not to deal with them here, as they form a 

 distinct feature in sheep -keeping. 



Working a Mixed Flock. Perhaps the best way of showing how 

 a flock is managed is to take an imaginary farm of mixed grass and 

 arable, and show how a flock of 200 ewes and their offspring: may 

 be maintained on it. The size of the farm need not be definitely 

 fixed, as on such a farm cattle are always kept, but sufficient grass 



