Fitting Wethers for Shows. 213 



in their legs and body, shake when walking, and 

 drink lots of water. If they are once foundered it 

 is difficult to get them right again. 



SYMPTOMS OF FOUNDER. 



The term foundering is well known to many ex- 

 pert show fitters. It does not make any difference 

 how well any man is posted in fitting sheep, he 

 will once in a while have a foundered lamb. In 

 a bunch of eight to ten head fed in the most care- 

 ful manner, there are perhaps one or two which 

 are more greedy than the others. By this greedi- 

 ness they get a little more grain than their share, 

 and if the grain is of a heavy, rich nature during 

 warm weather they become foundered. 



A foundered lamb becomes stiff on all its four 

 legs. It walks just as if it did not have any joints 

 in its limbs, its temperature is abnormally high, 

 and its breathing is very fast, indicating a feverisli 

 condition. It does not care to walk even a short 

 distance and lies down every twenty to thirty 

 feet, and sometimes oftener, when it is driven. 

 This condition is due to an overheated, so-called 

 "burned out" stomach caused by eating too much 

 heavy grain. While a certain amount of grain 

 may bring on this trouble in hot weather, in cooler 

 weather this same amount, or even more, would 

 not hurt the lamb in the least. 



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