262 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



clovers in early bloom, and the peas and oats or vetches 

 and oats a little short of maturity. Millet of fine growth 

 and leafy, cut when the heads are beginning to tint, is 

 good. The same is true of fodder corn, bright and leafy, 

 of fine growth and cut a little short of full maturity. 

 Feeding fodders in variety is helpful to sheep of all grades, 

 and it is especially so to ewes that are being forced, as it 

 were, to provide milk for their lambs. Such fodder may 

 be given two or three times a day, and if any is left over, 

 it should be carefully removed before furnishing the next 

 feed. 



In no form can succulence be given so safely or so 

 beneficially to such ewes when on dry food as in the form 

 of field roots. While any kind of field roots will serve 

 the purpose, there is no variety of the same that is supe- 

 rior to the rutabaga or the mangel. After the lambs are 

 able to take all the milk, the ewes may be given 6 to 8 

 pounds of these in a day, or practically all that they will 

 consume. They should be given in two feeds and in the 

 sliced or pulped form. Next in value to field roots is corn 

 silage, but it is not to be fed so freely as field roots. 

 When fed in large quantities, as large as, say, six pounds 

 or more daily, it has not proved so entirely satisfactory 

 as field roots in its influence on the health of the sheep. 



While various concentrates may be fed, none are 

 more suitable under average conditions than a mixture of 

 oats, bran and corn or peas in the proportion of five, three 

 and two parts respectively. Of this they may be fed 

 virtually all that they will eat with a relish. A very lim- 

 ited amount of oilcake will also be in some degree help- 

 ful when it can be obtained. 



Feeding and caring for the lambs The aim should 

 be to have lambs that are to be shown at the early autumn 

 fairs come in February or March. For the late fairs, as 

 the December fat stock shows, they should come in late 

 March, or even as late as early April. If they come too 

 early they will be too far grown to meet the conditions 



