RATIONS FOR BREEDING EWES 



35 



ig 215 Ibs. in medium breeding condition; the other ram was a 

 loother, more compact ram weighing 175 Ibs. in breeding condition. 

 The second year, all the ewes were bred to the last mentioned ram. 



Grain Rations for Lambs. Creeps were provided for the lambs, 



e., part of each lot was fenced off with a partition providing spaces 

 ist large enough for the lambs to crawl through, but small enough 



keep the ewes out. In these creeps, the lambs were fed all the 

 rain they would clean up. The grain ration fed the lambs was the 

 ime as that fed the ewes, except that coarsely ground corn was used 



>tead of shelled corn. 



The Measure of Efficiency. In experiments with fattening ani- 

 lals, the measure of efficiency of a ration is determined by the pounds 

 feed required to produce 100 Ibs. of gain, the cost of the feed and 

 le condition of the animals at the end of the feeding period. How- 

 , rations for maintaining breeding animals cannot be measured 

 )V the above standaid. The purpose of all breeding animals is to 

 >roduce young. Hence, the offspring is the most important factor 

 measuring the efficiency of a ration for wintering pregnant ewes. 

 The measure of efficiency in this experiment was, first, the weight 

 id condition of the lambs at birth; second, the ability of the ewe to 

 ickle the lambs this being measured by the gain and general thrift 

 the lambs while suckling their dams; third, the general thrift and 

 >ndition of the ewes throughout the trial; fourth, the cost of the 

 ition. 



CLOVER HAY vs. TIMOTHY. 



Many farmers in Missouri produce timothy because it is a more 

 ;rtain crop and easier to grow than clover. Unfortunately, how- 

 , the crops which are produced with the least trouble are not al- 

 r ays the best. From a soil fertility standpoint, clover is much supe- 

 rior to timothy, and from a sheep feeding standpoint, clover has prov- 

 a superior roughness. In order to study the relative merits of 

 these two hays as roughnesses for wintering pregnant ewes, this trial 

 was conducted. The results are recorded in Table I. 



