CHAPTER VIII 

 FEEDING AND CARE OF RAMS 



The subdivisions in the discussion of this subject are 

 the following : (i) Food for rams from weaning until win- 

 ter ; (2) Food and care the first winter; (3) Stock rams in 

 winter; (4) Food and care for sale rams in summer; (5) 

 Food and care for stock rams in summer; (6) Food and 

 management during the season of service; (7) The dis- 

 posal of rams ; and (8) Miscellaneous attentions called for. 



The care and management suitable for ram lambs to 

 be used in breeding up to the weaning season is the same 

 as for other lambs. It has been given in Chapter VI. 



When the lambs have been weaned, they should be 

 culled, separating those possessed of sufficient promise 

 from such as are inferior. The culling should include 

 such as are off in markings, ungainly in form, deficient in 

 fleece and lacking in size and robustness. 



It would be a great mistake to sell or to buy lambs 

 for use in pure-bred flocks that lack the markings char- 

 acteristic of the breed, or that are possessed of character- 

 istics which do not properly belong to the same, how- 

 soever excellent the animals may be in other respects. A 

 bare head or leg in the Shropshire illustrates the former, 

 and the presence of black wool in any part of the fleece 

 the latter. But such rams, if strong and vigorous, may 

 be superlatively useful in grade flocks, hence they should 

 not be sacrificed where such a market exists for them. 



Lambs that are ungainly in form include such as are 

 not possessed sufficiently of that blocky form that indi- 

 cates vigor and good mutton-producing qualities. Such 

 lambs may possess good size, but they are frequently 

 found too long in limb and neck, too sharp in the spine, 

 too much sunken in the crops and too narrow throughout. 



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