Ohio Station found a ration composed of four parts corn and one part 

 oil meal cheaper and more satisfactory than the Pennsylvania ration. 48 

 Regularity, cleanliness and quiet must prevail in the successful 

 feeding of pregnant ewes. 



Exercise of Breeding Ewes. 



Feeding alone will not produce strong and vigorous lambs from 

 breeding ewes. The vigor of the ewe is invariably transmitted to 

 the lamb. One of the difficulties in managing breeding ewes during 

 the winter is their tendency not to exercise sufficiently. The ewes 

 should be placed on pasture or fields to exercise and gather weeds or 

 dead grass. When the snow is too deep, paths may be made and hay 

 or grain strewn in them which will cause the ewes to exercise. An ex- 

 perienced shepherd never forgets to have his ewes exercise daily, as 

 it stimulates their appetites and makes them vigorous to resist the 

 strain at lambing time, and the drain of the lactation period which fol- 

 lows. 



Preparation for Lambing. 



With records of mating on hand, the time of lambing can be pre- 

 dicted, since the normal gestation period is about 147 days. Provided 

 such records are kept, signs of approaching lambing are shown by 

 the distention of the paunch, the swelling of the vulva, the enlarge- 

 ment of the udder, and within the last forty-eight hours the filling up 

 of the teats. Ewes that are well advanced should be separated 

 from the flock one week prior to lambing and given extra attention. 

 Within a few hours of lambing the ewes should be placed in individ- 

 ual lambing pens. Several days before lambing, remove all the tags 

 or filthy wool about the vulva of the ewes, at the same time remov- 

 ing all the loose and dirty wool about the udder and the tags about 

 the hind flank. Lambs will suck these tags and strands of. wool, 

 which form wool balls in the intestines and cause death. The udder 

 should be trimmed on a warm day and prior to lambing, since sudden 

 uncovering in severe weather may cause garget. 



Lambing. 



The lambing season is the most critical period in the manage- 

 ment of the flock. The shepherd, therefore, should be alert to save 

 a high percentage of his lambs, on which his profits depend. The 

 lambing season begins the latter part of February and extends 



4S Ohio Bulletin No. 270. 



47 



