HOTHOUSE LAMBS 233 



farms where a surplus of cow's milk is available, 

 it will frequently pay to feed a liberal ration of this 

 to the young lambs to supplement the milk ration 

 furnished by the ewes. It is no great task to teach 

 the young animals to drink, and this extra milk 

 ration will have a marked effect in fitting the lambs 

 for the market. At the earliest possible moment a 

 grain ration should be added. If the lambs be 

 given individual attention they may be taught to 

 eat sifted oatmeal or ground barley and a little oil 

 cake while very young. This is best fed by fixing 

 a creep for the lambs so that they can have access 

 to a trough containing some of this mixed grain 

 without being disturbed. 



A difficulty which is likely to be met when the 

 sheep are kept closely confined under shelter, as is 

 necessary for the growing of winter lambs, is that 

 the older and stronger lambs are likely to rob the 

 younger ones of their feed. This point should be 

 watched and met by the prompt separation of the 

 smaller and weaker lambs in pens by themselves. 

 It will also require constant close attention to keep 

 the young lambs free from stomach worms and 

 other parasitic disorders. The ordinary well-known 

 means of combating these pests will suffice equally 

 well for young lambs of this character. The most 

 effectual treatment for stomach worms and in- 

 testinal parasites of all kinds is the administering 

 of a small quantity of gasoline to each lamb sus- 

 pected of infestation. The growing lambs will soon 

 learn to nibble at fine, well-cured alfalfa or clover 

 hay, and will consume considerable quantities of it 

 if it is kept constantly available to them. These 

 nibbling propensities may be taken advantage of 

 in keeping the animals healthy by placing a small 

 quantity of tobacco stems in one end of their man- 



