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WISCONSIN BULLETIN 263 



alfalfa hay, together with an occasional addition of corn 

 fodder, no grain needs to be fed until about a month befoi 

 lambing begins, if the lambs are to be dropped before th( 

 ewes are on pasture. In any case, it is advisable to feed 

 some grain the last month so as to give the ewe flock an 

 abundance of milk when the lambs arrive. This will also 

 help to check the common trouble of sheep disowning theii 

 lambs. 



At the Wisconsin Experiment Station it has been found 

 that no ration gives more satisfactory results than a mixture 

 of whole oats and bran. This ration can be made half and 



FIG 7. SHEEP ON THEIR WAY TO EXERCISE 



To insure a strong healthy lamb crop plenty of exercise for pregnant ewes is of 



vital importance. 



half, or of two parts of oats to one part of bran. Each ewe 

 should receive a half pound of this mixture each day. In 

 case the sheep are purchased in the fall in a poor run-down 

 condition, a small amount of shelled corn may be added to 

 the oats and bran ration until they are in good condition. 



When clover or alfalfa hay are not available as roughage, 

 and it is necessary to feed the sheep bluegrass hay, corn 

 fodder or fine oat straw, the ration of oats and bran should 

 be fed through the entire winter. Peas and oats sown to- 

 gether and cut and cured just before they ripen make a 

 splendid roughage for sheep during the winter. Pure timothy 

 hay or marsh hay should never be fed to sheep because they 

 cause indigestion and lower the sale price of the wool. 



