Feeding Standards for Fattening Sheep 353 



narrow a nutritive ratio with any species of fattening 

 animal, unless it becomes incidental to an economical 

 purchase of feeding stuffs. We may safely conclude 

 that the resources of the farm are sufficient to supply 

 enough protein for a ration of an efficient character 

 for the class of animals under consideration, though 

 we should give due recognition to the fact that, with 

 fattening lambs especially, the protein feeding stuffs 

 may be most efficiently utilized. 



The quantity of nutrients prescribed by the pub- 

 lished standard for fattening is practically the same 

 per unit of weight as that given for fattening bovines. 

 This runs contrary to common observation and the 

 results of experiments. The standard for steers has 

 been characterized as excessive, but this fault cannot 

 be charged to the one for sheep, for, if anything, it is 

 below the demands of practice. Even mature sheep about 

 average size will consume 18.5 Ibs. of digestible nutri- 

 ents per 1,000 Ibs. live weight, but this ratio does not 

 meet the requirements for the prevalent intensive feed- 

 ing of lambs and yearlings weighing from 75 to 125 

 Ibs. each. It is easily demonstrable not only that sheep 

 will utilize a proportionately larger quantity of food 

 than bovines, but that they will make a relatively 

 greater increase. The results of two experiments in 

 fattening wether lambs, reported from the Iowa Agri- 

 cultural College in 1896 and 1897, when compared with 

 the outcome of steer -feeding trials, serve admirably to 

 illustrate the correctness of this statement. The lambs 

 were divided among seven mutton breeds. Sixty -nine 

 were fed 90 days and 64 others were fed 107 days. 



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