﻿THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. 21 



or any other class of sheep. Silage of good quality, however, is very 

 desirable. Too large a supply of succulence should not be given ewes 

 before lambing, or weak, unhealthy lambs may be the result. 



Oats and bran are as good concentrates as can be secured. Corn 

 alone is too fattening. Whether or not the ewe.3 require" grain 

 throughout the entire winter, and the amount they will need, depends 

 largely upon their condition and the kind of roughage and succulence 

 fed. In the Willamette Valley, where abundant green forage is avail- 

 able throughout the year, practically no grain is fed before lambing. 

 But under average conditions succulent forage of this nature is 

 unavailable, and a little grain should be fed, beginning several weeks 

 before lambing, to stimulate the milk flow. An average ewe J s daily 

 ration during pregnancy would be about as follows: Two to three 

 pounds of hay, 2 pounds of roots or .silage, and one-half pound to 1 

 pound of gram. Usually one-half pound of grain is enough before 

 lambing if the ewes enter their winter quarters in good condition. 



Turning the ewes out after they have eaten their morning feed for 

 water and for a light feed of corn fodder or some similar feed is a good 

 plan when the weather is not too severe. This gives them plenty of 

 exercise and allows the troughs and racks to be readily cleaned out 

 and the evening feed placed in them. Alfalfa, clovers, etc., are the 

 most desirable roughage. Succulence in the form of silage or roots 

 is essential for the best results, as experiments have shown that ewes 

 receiving such feeds produce stronger lambs and have a larger milk 

 flow. Thousands of breeding ewes have died in this country of 

 "blind staggers" brought on by feeding timothy hay without 

 succulence. This particular kind of hay causes constipation and is 

 very undesirable for sheep. 



LAMBING. 



This is the busiest time of the shepherd's year. The forward ewes 

 should be picked out and placed in a pen by themselves, where they 

 are allowed to lamb. They should be looked after occasionally and 

 aided if necessary. Generally it is not necessary to watch later than 

 11 o'clock at night, for if a ewe does not lamb before this time she 

 usually will not before 4 o'clock the next morning. Many a ewe or 

 lamb that would otherwise be lost may be saved by a little extra 

 attention on the part of the shepherd. Malpresentation occurs 

 occasionally in the best-managed flocks, and sometimes a ewe may 

 have a lamb that is too large for her to deliver unaided. The normal 

 presentation of the lamb is head first with the lower jaw resting upon 

 the fore legs. 



If the lamb is partially delivered under normal conditions, it can 

 usually be helped out by grasping it with one hand by the fore legs 

 and pulling at the same time the ewe strains. If the head or either 



