20 BULLETIN 573, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



more labor in feeding than the one here described, so that it seems 

 preferable to keep some of the ewes in larger pens. In all well- 

 planned sheds a room is provided in one end for the shepherd. A 

 stove is placed in this room, so as to keep the room warm during the 

 lambing season. 



Racks and troughs. There are two common types of hayracks. 

 One is a V-shaped rack made of 1 by 4 inch pieces alternating at the 

 base or 1 by 2 inch pieces 4 inches apart. By the use of a 10-inch 

 board for the base these racks are often made into a combination 

 grain and hay rack, as illustrated in figure 7. The base also catches 

 much of the chaff and the leaves that break off from the hay. An 

 objection to this type of rack is that some of the chaff falling from 

 above gets into the sheep's wool. This objection can be overcome 

 largely by the use of 1 by 12 inch boards put together lengthwise over 

 the upper part of the rack. Another objection to the combination rack 

 and trough is that the troughs are not usually kept clean. The 

 other popular type of rack is a long, rectangular one, 2 feet wide and 

 2J feet high. The baseboards are 16 inches high. Above these 

 is an 8-inch space through which the sheep insert their heads, and 

 above this is a 6-inch board. If desired, a bottom is easily provided. 

 This type of rack is used commonly for feeding chopped hay, although 

 the self-feeder type i* becoming popular. For the best results 

 separate grain troughs are provided. The sheltered board-bottom 

 trough, swinging on bolts in a frame so it can be turned and cleaned 

 easily, is very satisfactory. When it is desired to feed the lambs 

 by themselves, creeps can be provided to admit them to the troughs 

 while excluding the ewes. There is a wide choice of types of water 

 troughs. The chief consideration in this connection is that the 

 trough be so arranged that the water can be kept clean. 



DISEASES, PESTS, AND MINOR AILMENTS. 



There is unfortunately a common belief that little can be done 

 for a sheep that becomes sick or unthrifty. In many cases, particu- 

 larly in pure-bred flocks and in well-managed range bands, the 

 fallacy of this belief has been shown. The flockmaster should not 

 hesitate to secure the services of a competent veterinarian at the 

 first indications of unthriftiness or disease. A brief discussion of 

 pests, diseases, and minor ailments which have been found or may 

 occur on the Minidoka project is given below. 



Dogs and coyotes. On farms near the open range the coyote is 

 still a menace. On, these farms and near the towns the dog also 

 does considerable damage. For some reason the Idaho flockmaster 

 has been loath to believe that dogs kill sheep, coyotes commonly 

 being blamed for the work of dogs. So long as dogs are allowed to 

 run at large and while coyotes are as prevalent as at present, some 



