WESTERN LAMB FEEDING. 259 



will be a death loss among feeding lambs no 

 matter how carefully they are fed. Care will 

 greatly reduce this loss, however. The writer 

 has had as low as 2 per cent and as high as 8 

 per cent. If no more than 4 per cent of loss is 

 sustained no one need shed tears. 



Attention to regularity in feeding, care that 

 no doors or gates are left open to admit lambs 

 to feed bins, and always feeding well under the 

 gauge of the appetite will usually keep the 

 death loss very low. With Western lambs 

 there is sometimes danger of their jumping into 

 water tanks if they have access thereto. The 

 feeder should be careful that no sudden fright 

 causes them to stampede in the bam and pile 

 up, which may smother a number. 



There is seldom any good accomplished by 

 treating with medicine sick lambs in the feed 

 lot, unless for stomach worms. These should 

 be cleaned out before the feediug. begins. The 

 writer has probably lost his full share of lambs 

 and has tried various remedial treatments, but 

 is not aware that he ever helped one. Death, 

 in fact, usually comes from some inflammation 

 of the intestinal tract, caused by engorgement 

 of rich food, and medicine only aggravates the 

 trouble. 



There will occasionally be loss from gid, or 

 tumsick, which is caused by a bladder worm 

 parasite in the brain. There is no practical 

 remedy for that, though the lamb when first 

 observed will make good mutton. 



With regular, rational treatment the lambs 

 will keep in health and when occasionally one 



