264 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



the finest growth found in those respective kinds of hay. 

 Alfalfa cut not later than the very first appearance of 

 blooms is particularly suitable. The same is true of alsike 

 clover, or the alsike and small white varieties grown to- 

 gether. The vetch hay should also be grown so thickly 

 as to preclude the opportunity for coarse growth. When 

 on good pasture the lambs may not take much hay, but 

 they will consume more or less of it and with manifest 

 advantage. Such fodder should be fed in small racks in- 

 accessible to the ewes. For succulence they should be 

 given field oats or cabbage until the season of plentiful 

 grazing arrives. The most suitable roots at such a time 

 are rutabagas, mangels and sugar beets, as these are then 

 in good condition for being fed. They should be fed 

 sliced or pulped, and if sliced the aim should be to so slice 

 them that they shall be fed in thin strips. The cabbage 

 heads should also be cut up or sliced — in fact, minced in 

 a sense — so that the lambs may readily partake of them. 



Young lambs will begin to eat grain, when, say, not 

 more than 10 days old. There is no better grain for 

 lambs when they begin to take such food than ground or 

 crushed oats fed alone. A few days later bran may be 

 added with advantage. When they have become well 

 started on such feed, say at the age of four or five weeks, 

 the following grain ration will be found highly suitable 

 through the remainder of the nursing period : Oats, bran, 

 corn or peas by measure in the proportions of 50, 25, 20 

 and 5 per cent respectively. Peas are preferable to corn 

 during the milk period, but corn is preferable later. They 

 should be given practically all the grain that they will 

 eat. 



Lambs to be exhibited should be docked and cas- 

 trated at an early age (see pages 114-117). Both operations 

 should be performed with the exercise of careful judg- 

 ment. The length of the stub has a bearing on the sym- 

 metry of the lamb, and also the size of the sac from 

 which the testicles have been drawn. Short docking is 



