586 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



however, to feed a little bran or oil meal 

 even with these hays, while with the 

 more carbonaceous fodders, like corn- 

 stalks, sorghum and prairie hay, nitrog- 

 enous grains should always be fed. The 

 ewes require rations that will supply 

 nourishment to the developing foetus 

 and the production of wool, rather than 

 a fattening ration. It should, therefore, 

 contain a liberal percentage of protein, 

 and have a nutritive ratio of about 1 :4 

 or 1 :5. The grain ration should be made 

 up preferably of wbole peas, oats, or bran 

 or a mixture of these. 



At the Wisconsin station, a ration of 

 one part corn, one part bran, and one 

 part oats, with corn silage and hay as a 

 roughage, proved entirely satisfactory 

 for breeding ewes, giving as good results 

 as whole oats, wheat bran or dried brew- 



cise. The aim of the successful herds- 

 man is to secure vigorous, firm fleshed 

 ewes, which are the result of liberal 

 feeding and abundant exercise. Rela- 

 tive to succulent foods, not more than 

 about 3 pounds of either roots or silage 

 should be fed daily before the lambing 

 period. If fed in too liberal quantities, 

 weak lambs are likely to result. After 

 lambing, however, these succulent foods 

 may be fed in unlimited quantities to 

 stimulate the milk flow. 



The cost of wintering breeding ewes 

 — The Iowa station carried on extensive 

 experiments to determine the cost of 

 wintering ewes of different breeds. They 

 were wintered in a comfortable barn, 

 where foo;l and water were handy. The 

 cost per day a head was as follows: 

 Merino, 1.3 cents; Cotswold, 1.35 cents; 



Fig. 373 — WELSH MOUNTAIN SHEEP 



ers' grains. The dried brewers' grains, 

 however, were more effective for milk 

 production, and also one of the cheap- 

 est rations fed. 



The ewe should have some succulent 

 food like silage or roots; corn silage 

 proved as efficient and considerably 

 cheaper for breeding ewes at the Wis- 

 consin station than clover silage or 

 sugar beets. Superior results were ob- 

 tained when the ewes were fed */2 pound 

 of grain each daily with 2*4 pounds of 

 corn silage and 2 pounds of mixed hay. 



In a general way, the shepherd should 

 regulate the quantity of food, accord- 

 ing to the condition of the ewes. If they 

 are poor and thin when going into win- 

 ter quarters, they should be fed more 

 heavily than otherwise. 



As the lambing time approaches, the 

 grain ration should be increased, provid- 

 ing the ewes have plenty of daily exer- 



Dorset, 1.21 cents; Oxford, 1.32 cents; 

 Hampshire, 1.36 cents; Shropshire, 0.97 

 cent ; and Southdown, 0.6 cent. These 

 data show the Southdowns, Shropshires 

 and Merinos to be most easily kept. The 

 ewes were given sufficient hay and grain 

 to maintain them in good breeding con- 

 dition. 



At the Mississippi station it cost 99 

 cents a head to winter sheep on cotton- 

 seed meal and hulls for about four 

 months. 



Period of pregnancy — The records of 

 524 ewes bred at the Wisconsin station, 

 shows a period of pregnancy varying 

 from 140 to 156 days. Seventy-seven per 

 cent of the ewes dropped their lambs 

 between the 144th and 150th days. The 

 usual time is given as 21 weeks. The 

 record shows that male and female lambs 

 are carried about equal lengths of time. 

 The proportion of males was 49.9 per 



