THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ON THE MINIDOKA PROJECT. 7 



desirable size. Such a flock requires special pastures, winter feed 

 yards, and a lambing shed. It is questionable whether in the long 

 average of years it will be desirable to use an entire farm for sheep 

 production, as has been the tendency in a few cases. A flock of 

 100 ewes will require on the average the entire production of 20 

 acres of land. A flock of 350 or 400 ewes would require the entire 

 production of an improved 80-acre farm. With one of these large 

 flocks there would be no inexpensive waste feeds and no by-products 

 of other agricultural industries, which, are so profitably utilized by 

 sheep on farms where sheep production is not the exclusive industry. 

 The importance of sheep in the utilization of waste materials should 

 receive special emphasis. It is largely through such utilization that 

 the economical production of sheep on irrigated farms is possible. It 

 is important, therefore, that farmers who contemplate engaging in 

 sheep production on these irrigated lands should carefully consider 

 the relationship of sheep to other industries of the farm and should 

 pay special attention to the utilization of waste materials. Of the 

 289 farms on the project carrying sheep in 1916, only 38 carried more 

 than 100 head each. This indicates the general tendency to keep 

 sheep in relatively small bands, and such a tendency is to be encour- 

 aged. 



FOUNDATION STOCK. 



Getting started. — There are various methods whereby a farmer 

 can secure a start in the sheep industry on the Minidoka project. 

 Experience here and elsewhere has led to the conclusion that 

 for the inexperienced man the foundation stock should be grades. 

 The successful production of pure-bred stock requires expert 

 knowledge both in the selection of stock and in its management. 

 It is also important to consider that the cost of starting with 

 pure-bred ewes is much greater than that of starting with grade 

 ewes. So far it has been possible for farmers on the project to 

 secure a start in the sheep business by obtaining orphans and 

 disowned lambs from range sheep camps on the project. These 

 lambs usually may be had for the asking. There are numerous 

 instances in which such lambs have been taken from the camps, fed 

 cows' milk, carefully handled during the first few weeks of their 

 lives, and thus become the origin of successful farm flocks. Good 

 results are secured by feeding cows' milk from a bottle with a small 

 rubber nipple attached. Lambs when obtaining their feed by 

 natural methods receive their milk in small quantities at frequent 

 intervals. This should be kept in mind in the early feeding of 

 lambs secured from range bands. The milk should be clean and of 

 uniform temperature, as determined by a thermometer. Farmers 

 who are successful in raising lambs on bottles feed two or three 

 tablespoonfuls of milk every two hours for the first few days and then 



