36 Sheep Management, Breeds and Judging. 



taken that no frozen roots or silage are fed, for 

 some sheep feeders have experienced bitter losses 

 of sheep after feeding frozen roots or silage. 

 Frozen roots chill the stomach, while frozen or 

 moldy silage may have a poisonous effect. Either 

 will cause a serious derangement of the digestive 

 organs. 



ROUGHAGE FOR SHEEP IN WINTER. 



Sheep like variety in their feed, perhaps more 

 so than other farm animals. Alfalfa, red clover, 

 and other leguminous hays are their favorites. 

 Oats and peas sowed together and made into hay 

 before they ripen make an excellent winter feed 

 for sheep. Blue grass hay, oat hay, nice corn fod- 

 der, and bright, fine oat straw are also relished by 

 sheep as a change. Timothy and marsh hay should 

 at no time be offered as feed to sheep. Too much 

 emphasis cannot be placed upon this statement, 

 for timothy hay with its coarseness and woodiness 

 has caused the loss of thousands of sheep annually 

 in this country from constipation. Another ob- 

 jection to timothy hay feeding is the fact that the 

 heads of the timothy force themselves into the 

 wool, often down to the skin, making the skin itch 

 very badly and causing the sheep to scratch and 

 rub on sharp corners. The timothy in the wool 

 also makes shearing difficult, and wool buyers ob- 

 ject to such wool and cut down on the price paid 

 for it. 



