﻿THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE PABM. 9 



other qualities. Large, roomy ewes possessing some degree of 

 " dairy type" raise the best lambs. Very often the barren ewe, or 

 the one that has lost her lamb, apparently possesses superior mutton 

 form, but this is not due to inheritance, but to the fact that the 

 animal has not suffered the drain of producing and rearing young. 

 Short, plump, "tucked up" ewes are not desirable for breeding 

 purposes. 



Femininity is as desirable in the ewe as is masculinity in the ram. 

 While to a certain extent this character accompanies refinement, it 

 should not be mistaken for weakness or an excess of quality. Ewes 

 that are good mothers should be selected as far as possible. This is 

 to a certain degree an inherited quality, though older ewes usually 

 prove better mothers than younger ones. Ewes that disown their 

 lambs or do not have enough milk for them are the source of a great 

 deal of annoyance. It is said that these two conditions are correlated. 



Where it is possible, the ewe's former record of production or that 

 of her ancestors should be considered. English investigations cover- 

 ing 327 flocks showed that a ewe which was herself one of twins gave 

 birth to twins more frequently than one that was a single lamb. 

 The Wisconsin station 1 found that twin lambs gain as fast as singles, 

 and that the ewes need lose no more flesh in nursing twins than single 

 lambs. These observations indicate that a ewe that produces twins 

 has more capacity than one raising only a single lamb and that she 

 should prove more valuable in the flock. There are a number of 

 instances where a ewe has produced as many as four lambs that have 

 all lived and grown to maturity, though all were not suckled by the 

 one ewe. There are ewes in every flock that are capable of raising 

 twin lambs, and the number of these can be increased if an effort is 

 made to do it. 



This makes plain the importance of keeping accurate records of 

 the flock. Probably not one farmer in a thousand keeps records, so 

 there may be none kept of the flock from which the ewes were 

 originally selected. But there should be a breeding record started 

 as soon as a flock is established, especially if it is a purebred flock. 



AGE OF BREEDING EWES. 



It is impracticable to give any best age for breeding ewes. Desira- 

 ble qualities are not all present to the greatest degree at any one 

 time. For instance, the Wisconsin station 2 found that ewes 6 years 

 of age produce a higher percentage of lambs than younger ones. 

 But ewes this old usually have broken mouths and are not generally 

 desirable on that account. Some general rules are worth considering 



i Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Wisconsin, Sixteenth Annual Report (1899), 

 Madison, 1900. 

 2 Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Wisconsin, Bulletin Co, Madison, 1902. 



7635°— 13 2 



