THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ON THE MINIDORA PROJECT. 19 



together in the shape of an L, so as to give protection from the north 

 and west winds, is desirable. A typical L-shaped shed is illustrated 

 in figure 5. 



Lambing sheds. There are several types of good lambing sheds 

 in use on the project. One of the most popular is a shed 18 or 20 

 feet wide, extending east and west. This shed is 5 feet high at the 

 eaves on the north and 6 feet high on the south. Large open windows, 

 which can be closed with muslin or canvas, are placed in the south side. 

 Large sliding doors are provided in both ends. Sheds of this type 

 are permanent and are of value during the entire winter. The 

 east door may be left open, so that the sheep may enter or leave the 

 shed at will. A shed of this type is shown in figure 6. Other types 

 of sheds are open, facing either the east or south; while others are 

 partly open and partly closed, and one popular type has a skeleton 

 roof open to the east or south, which is covered with canvas when the 

 shed is in use. Many successful flockmasters house their flocks in 

 tent houses or in straw sheds. When properly made, these are 

 entirely satisfactory, and if the necessary care is given a high per- 

 centage of lambs is saved. 



There is a too common tendency to make sheds too warm, too dark, 

 and too poorly ventilated. Dryness, sunlight, and good ventilation 

 without drafts are essential to the comfort of the flock. Where sheds 

 are built with insufficient ventilation, catarrh, pneumonia, and other 

 similar ailments are common. 



A typical interior arrangement of sheds extending east and west 

 and 20 feet wide is as follows: On the north side there are large 

 pens, 13 feet wide and from 15 to 25 feet long. The side of the shed 

 forms one side of these pens, and panels form the other sides. Parti- 

 tions between the pens are made in the form of hayracks or com- 

 bination hay and grain racks, so that the ends of the pens contain 

 the feed. Water troughs are also provided. On the south side 

 of the shed there is a row of small individual pens. These commonly 

 are made of panels 4 feet long and 3 feet high, two of which are 

 hinged together so as to form a half pen. These two, placed in a 

 corner of the shed, make a complete pen 4 feet square. Additional 

 individual pens adjoining these are made by the use of similar hinged 

 panels provided with hooks for setting up and taking down easily. 

 When not in use the panels are folded together and piled in one 

 corner of the shed. Some of the large pens on the north side are used 

 by the ewes which are within a week of lambing, and others are 

 occupied by owes with lambs a few days old. Just before or imme- 

 diately after lambing the ewe is placed in one of the individual pens 

 and kept there until the lamb is 2 or 3 days old. Another common 

 arrangement is to have the entire shed filled" with these individual 

 pens. This is undoubtedly a good arrangement, but it entails 



