SHEEP 



593 



is an annual, while alfalfa does not re- 

 quire reseeding for a number of years. 



Peas for pasture — Field peas are be- 

 ing extensively grown in many of the 

 northern and western mountain states 

 as a fall pasture for sheep. The use of 

 this crop has grown into a great industry 

 in the San Luis valley in Colorado. It 

 is estimated that in 1904, fully 200,000 

 sheep were made ready for market in 

 this valley by pasturing on peas. The 

 peas are sown at the rate of 40 to 50 

 pounds to the acre along with a small 

 quantity of barley or oats, which are 

 used chiefly to furnish a support for the 

 pea crop. 



Sheep and lambs are turned in to 

 graze upon the crop as soon as it is ripe. 

 They thus get both grain and forage. 

 It requires from 70 to 90 days to put the 

 lambs in fine condition for market and 

 a little longer period for ewes or older 

 sheep. Lambs make an increase of about 

 8 pounds a head monthly while grazing 

 off the peas and an acre will fatten 10 

 to 15 lambs. On this basis, estimating 

 the increase in gain at 4 a /2 cents a pound, 

 an acre of peas has a value of about 

 $13 for mutton production, and the sheep 

 do their own harvesting. Better results 

 are secured where the lambs are hurdled 

 on small areas at a time, rather than al- 

 lowed to roam over the entire area. This 

 calls for movable fences. There is no 

 danger from bloat on this crop. The 

 peas being rich in protein are well suited 

 to produce growth in lambs. The crop 

 at the same time greatly improves the 

 fertility of the land. 



One hundred lambs pastured on field 

 peas seven weeks at the Colorado station, 

 when fit for harvesting, gained on the 

 average 17 pounds each. 



In Colorado, ideal conditions are fur- 

 nished for this sort of fall grazing be- 

 cause of the long, dry, sunshiny season 

 at this time. 



Throughout the northern states it 

 will probably be advisable to put on a 

 larger number of sheep to pasture off 

 the peas more rapidly so that they will 

 be all harvested before fall rains set 

 in ; otherwise, the trampling of the sheep 

 on heavy, clay soil would be likely to 

 work considerable damage. There is no 

 reason, however, why this practice of 

 fattening lambs for market on peas 

 should not be widely extended through- 

 out the North. It has proved a great 

 boon for farmers throughout the San 



Luis valley, where many have become 

 independently rich by fitting lambs for 

 market on field peas. 



Tagging sheep and trimming hoofs 

 — Sheep at pasture are likely to have 

 loose bowels and get besmeared behind; 

 the feces adhering to the wool. Tags 

 thus formed should be kept trimmed off. 

 Likewise, when sheep run on soft ground, 

 the toes may grow long or turn up, caus- 

 ing lameness. They require paring 

 down from time to time with a sharp 

 knife. On gravelly ground the hoofs are 

 kept worn down without paring. 



FATTENING SHEEP IN WINTER 



About half the lambs in the home 

 flock each year are males and will ordi- 

 narily be marketed as mutton. The ewe 

 lambs will be reserved for the most part 

 to replace the older sheep in the flock 

 for breeding purposes. Sheep never 

 make such rapid gains as when they are 

 growing as lambs. And the common 

 method throughout the eastern and 

 northern states is to graze the lambs 

 on pasture till fall and then put them up 

 for winter and feed them for two or 

 three months on grain, hay, silage or 

 roots, marketing them when they are 

 from nine to 12 months old. 



It is desirable to ship to market in 

 carload lots, since it is much less expen- 

 sive proportionately for freight to ship 

 in this manner than to send only a few 

 sheep. Therefore if the home flock does 

 not supply enough lambs for winter 

 feeding, it may be advisable to buy lambs 

 to put with them. These can usually 

 be obtained in the fall at a weight of 

 50 to 60 pounds for $2.50 to $2.75 a 

 head. Western lambs can also be pur- 

 chased in any of the large stock mar- 

 kets through commission men. What- 

 ever the source of lambs, whether home 

 grown or purchased, they should be 

 dipped twice about 10 days apart to rid 

 them of ticks before putting them on 

 fattening rations. 



Shearing before fattening — There has 

 been considerable discussion as to the 

 desirability of shearing sheep before or 

 during the fattening period with the 

 purpose in view of securing more rapid 

 gains. This matter was tested experi- 

 mentally at the Wisconsin station, and 

 it was found that where the lambs were 

 shorn early in the season, about October, 

 they made more rapid gains for the next 

 six or seven weeks or until the wool had 



