210 Sheep-Farming 



for the lambs. If, when the lambs are this age, it is 

 not convenient for them to have access to grass land 

 uninfected with stomach worms, part of each day, 

 when rape or alfalfa is furnishing the grazing, they 

 can be weaned, and the ewes alone allowed to use the 

 old pastures that are scanty or unsafe for lambs. 

 The lambs can then be given some grain feed or 

 furnished cut forage the first part of the day, to 

 insure against bloating when on the other crops. 



Lambs dropped in February can be made to weigh 

 60 pounds in May and, at the price usually obtain- 

 able up to that time, bring more than if carried to 

 greater weights and sold later in the season. The 

 earlier they can be made heavy and fat enough 

 to market, the greater the advantage, and grain feed- 

 ing at this time is always well repaid. 



When lambs are marketed at around three months 

 of age or separated from the ewes for other reasons 

 at that age, there is more danger of trouble with the 

 ewes than when they are kept in milk a longer time. 

 Under the English system of hurdling on grazing 

 crops and letting the lambs run ahead of the ewes, 

 weaning can be done gradually with advantage to 

 both the lambs and their mothers. The lambs have 

 their grain trough in the fresh grazing in front of 

 the hurdles that keep the ewes back. While the 

 lambs are in front, the ewes are removed to shorter 

 and drier pasture. The length of time away is 

 increased each day. With the shorter and drier 



