212 OHIO EXPERIMENT STATION: BULLETIN 270 



consumed per pound of gain produced by the lambs was prac- 

 tically the same for the two rations. 



In these experiments oil meal was used because at that time it 

 was as cheap as or slightly cheaper than cottonseed meal. Cotton- 

 seed meal is usually cheaper than oilmeal and contains a higher per- 

 centage of protein, and is an excellent feed with which to balance a 

 ration containing corn and corn silage, which usually are the cheap- 

 est feeds on corn belt farms. When sprinkled over or mixed with 

 the silage it makes a very palatable ration, for which the ewes have a 

 greater relish than they have for the silage alone. 



PART II 



COST OF FEEDS IN WINTER LAMB PRODUCTION 

 The cost of gains produced by hothouse lambs as shown in 

 Part I of this bulletin has reference only to the cost of the gains 

 made while the lambs were on experiment. The following pages 

 show the entire cost of the feed required to produce these lots of 

 lambs, including the cost of the feed required to maintain 

 the ewes for a year. No account has been taken of numerous other 

 items which entered into the cost of production, such as interest on 

 the investment, depreciation in value of the ewe flock, ram service, 

 labor, etc., nor has any credit been given for the value of the manure 

 produced. No attempt has been made to determine the total cost of 

 production, as the factors just mentioned are so variable that even 

 if accurately determined in one particular case they would have but 

 doubtful application in other cases. The data here presented 

 represent a careful account of the amount of feed given, gains pro- 

 duced, and receipts from sales. They are presented to give the 

 reader an idea of the possibilities ef hothouse lamb production under 

 Ohio farm conditions. In calculating the cost of production, an 

 attempt has been made to value feeds at average prices for feeds 

 on the farm in Ohio. 



LAMBS PRODUCED IN 1911-12 



The fourteen hothouse lambs born in 1911-12 were from grade 

 Delaine ewes, and were sired by pure-bred Southdown rams. Two 

 of the lambs died February 16.* Six of the lambs were slaughtered 

 February 22, and the remaining six were slaughtered March 13. 

 Table X shows the weight of the ewes and lambs and the amount of 

 feed fed each week. The lambs were fed in a "lamb creep" apart 

 from the ewes, and in addition to this they were allowed to eat hay 

 and silage with the ewes, so that the lambs consumed slightly more 

 and the ewes slightly less feed than is shown in Table X. 



*The two lambs that died were apparently killed by a disease similar to forage poisoning or spinal 

 meningitis which affects horses and \\hich is supposed to be caused by a fungous growth on the forage. 

 It was at first feared that these two deaths were caused directly by silage, but later deaths from 

 annarentlv the same, disease amonir sheen that, were not. fed silaireled to the rnnrltisinn that the silaere 



