FITTING YEARLING WETHERS AND LAMBS FOR EXHIBITION 9 



To secure good yearlings the development of the lambs is care- 

 fully watched, and when the lot to be fed for the show is finally 

 selected it has been the practice to save, so far as possible, only 

 those which possess the foregoing characteristics, and have in 

 addition the ability to feed well and lay on firm flesh, covering 

 the sheep well over its entire body. 



FEEDING SHOW WETHERS 



Having laid a good foundation by carefully selecting the right 

 kind of wethers, one must proceed to feed them in a manner to 

 insure a finished form that will conform to or at least closely ap- 

 proach the judge's ideal. Several factors enter into the success- 

 ful feeding of any class of animals and especially into the feed- 

 ing of show wethers. Time is, a factor not always appreciated. 

 Feeding for the show must begin early at least fifteen to eigh- 

 teen weeks prior to the date of the show and at no time in the 

 life of the sheep should there be any neglect in providing suit- 

 able feed and pasture to keep the sheep growing and thrifty. 

 When the time for special fitting and feeding begins, alertness 

 on the part of the feeder to observe the manner in which the 

 wethers eat and thrive, judgment regarding the kinds and 

 amounts of feed to supply daily, and regularity in feeding and 

 caring for the sheep each day, are all factors of great importance. 

 All who have had to do with feeding sheep realize how fastidious 

 they are and how necessary it is to have conditions just right, 

 so as to avoid getting them off feed and retarding the gain and 

 development necessary to obtain the high state of flesh demanded 

 in the show ring. Great care must be exercised to get them 

 properly started on their feed. Likewise as the wethers approach 

 the finishing point and their appetites are less keen, the feeder 

 must exercise his greatest skill to keep them doing well. In push- 

 ing wethers forward there is also the danger of overdoing the 

 work and having them soft and flabby, or in a condition often 

 spoken of as "stale." The character of the feed and the rate at 

 which they are pushed along in the process of fattening are the 

 factors which account for the difference between wethers of un- 

 finished, prime, or overdone condition. 



As the University flock is composed of a variety of breeds it 

 has been possible each year to select and show lambs of several 

 breeds, and also to show yearling wethers in many different 



