SHEEP 



pounds a head weekly, while another 

 similar lot fed corn silage of good qual- 

 ity gained 3.85 pounds a head weekly. 

 These results are in favor of the silage. 

 Many feeders, however, prefer roots. 

 The latter, however, are more expensive. 



Winter feed for ewes — Watson states 

 that "whenever the ewes go into win- 

 ter quarters in good flesh, very little or 

 no grain and but few roots should be 

 fed before lambing time. This will en- 

 able the owner to carry his ewes through 

 a critical period with less trouble than 

 if grain and roots are fed liberally be- 

 fore the lambs are born." 



After lambing, the ewes should be 

 fed a small quantity of grain at first 

 and this gradually increased to a pound 

 and a half or two pounds a head daily. 

 In addition good clover or alfalfa hay 

 should be fed liberally and a liberal ra- 

 tion of silage or roots given. A little 

 extra grain and care at this time during 

 the eight to nine weeks after lambing, 

 will bring greater profits than at any 

 other time during the year. The extra 

 food "may bring the lamb into prime 

 condition and cause it to sell for the 

 highest market price, while the same 

 lamb without this increased nourish- 

 ment would be only in fair condition 

 and sell in the market for not more 

 than two-thirds the price of prime lambs. 

 It is of the utmost importance that the 

 lambs be well fattened. No matter how 

 large and thrifty the lamb may be, it 

 will not sell for the highest price if it 

 is not fat." 



Shelter in fall and winter — Some 

 shelter should be provided to protect the 

 lambs from cold rains. In fact, it is 

 best never to let the lambs get wet. On 

 this account it is desirable to have them 

 up nights. A cold rain which wets them 

 through is a serious check to their 

 growth. When freezing weather comes 

 and they are kept up all the time, they 

 require comfortable quarters such a3 

 have been described for the regular flock. 

 The term hothouse used in connection 

 with winter lambs is a misnomer, as 

 they do not require any warmer shelter 

 than the regular breeding stock. 



Of course, when the lambs are dropped 

 in the winter time, the pens should 

 be warm enough so that the lambs will 

 not chill. Sometimes the shepherd can 

 tell in advance when the ewe is about 

 to lamb and in such cases the ewes may 

 be put in small, comfortable pens by 



themselves. A lantern hung up in this 

 pen, providing the pen is tight, will keep 

 the lamb comfortable on the coldest 

 night. By going the rounds of the flock 

 about 10 o'clock at night and again 

 about 4 o'clock in the morning, the 

 shepherd can usually save all the lambs 

 dropped. 



Marketing hothouse lambs — Winter 

 lambs must be marketed in a fat con- 

 dition. This is of much greater im- 

 portance than size. Large lambs not 

 well conditioned present what is known 

 as a staggy appearance and never bring 

 top prices in the market. Early in the 

 season, smaller weight lambs bring the 

 best prices. As the winter advances 

 heavier lambs are in demand. The early 

 lambs are usually sold by the piece, later 

 in the winter they are all sold by the 

 pound. 



Great pains must be taken in dressing 

 the lambs that they present a neat and 

 clean appearance on the market, other- 

 wise it is impossible to get top prices. 



It will usually be desirable to make 

 arrangements with a commission man 

 beforehand, to whom the lambs may be 

 sent for sale. Usually the lambs should 

 be sent so that they arrive in the mar- 

 ket between Wednesday and Friday. 

 Miller, in the Winter Lamb, states that 

 he formerly shipped from Ohio to New 

 York by express, paying at the rate of 

 $1.50 a 100 pounds. Tn recent years, 

 however, he has shipped by refrigerator 

 rates at half this price and the lambs 

 have gone through in equally good con- 

 dition. For the New York market Wat- 

 son states as a rule Tuesday or Wednes- 

 day market is the best. The wholesale 

 market closes Friday noon and the 

 lambs should reach New York before 

 this time. As noted before, the early 

 season market is best, the price being 

 sometimes double what it is later in the 

 winter. 



Dressing lambs for winter market — . 

 Especial care must be taken in dressing 

 the lambs for the winter market. In 

 order that they may be perfectly bled 

 and that the wool may not be smeared 

 about the head and neck with blood, it 

 is advisable to suspend the lamb by the 

 hind feet so that its head clears the floor 

 by a foot or more. The lambs may be 

 prepared by simply removing the stom- 

 ach and entrails, leaving the feet and 

 head on and the pluck undisturbed. 



