Feeding Sheep for Market. 149 



not be satisfied to obtain a class that will not give 

 him the largest net returns from the feeding opera- 

 tion. 



When purchased by a carload or more, some of 

 the sheep or lambs will be larger than the others. 

 The larger ones generally take advantage of the 

 smaller ones at the feed trough and push them 

 back, and in this way get more than their share 

 of the feed. To give them all an equal chance a 

 good plan is to group them in two or more lots, 

 each size by itself. They usually do much better 

 in smaller lots than when too many are bunched 

 together. 



THE PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING. 



Some feeders do not obtain as good results as 

 others, simply because they have not yet learned 

 the few underlying principles which, when care- 

 fully observed, lead to success. 



1. Gentleness and patience. A sheep is fright- 

 ened very easily. Therefore, the feeder in charge 

 must not be one of the coarse, rough men who will 

 make his way into the feed lot by kicking and 

 pounding the sheep that get in his way. Gentle 

 treatment counts for a great deal in this line of 

 work, since sheep make more and cheaper gains 

 when treated kindly. Many a time the writer has 

 had his cap or hat' pulled off from his head when 



