312 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



in which it is furnished must be so low as to be of easy 

 access to the sheep, and care must be taken to prevent 

 them from becoming surrounded with wet or muddy 

 ground, a condition which is instinctively avoided by 

 sheep. 



Water obtained from ponds is usually the least suited 

 to the needs of sheep, unless it be water that is furnished 

 by marshy lands. Such water is objectionable because of 

 the impurities which it may contain. The conditions for 

 generating these are favored by the stagnant condition 

 of the waters. Supplying sheep with water from such a 

 source should be avoided where this is practicable, and 

 yet there may be instances in which water from this 

 source is not really harmful. Such instances are some- 

 times found on elevated upland ranges, when the purity 

 of the air guards the water from impurities such as would 

 be generated under conditions the opposite. 



Proximity to water in the grazing grounds is highly 

 advantageous to the well-being of the sheep. When they 

 have to travel a long distance in warm weather to obtain 

 water supplies, they will not thrive as they would when 

 the opposite conditions prevail. Where the pastures are 

 large, the aim should be to have water supplied in various 

 parts of the same. 



Providing water for sheep in winter Water obtained 

 from brooks and ponds does not meet the needs of sheep 

 in winter as it does the needs of other animals. They 

 are naturally timid and shrink from drinking where the 

 slightest physical hazard is present. If ice should be 

 found on the shores of a stream, sheep will not approach 

 it, nor can they be taught to drink from openings made in 

 a pond. Rather than take water under such conditions 

 they will eat snow, and in the absence of snow will go 

 without drinking. 



Water obtained from wells and cisterns is much more 

 suitable, because it is so much more readily accessible to 

 the sheep. But when furnished from these sources, it 



