Feeding Sheep 241 
388. Feeding lambs in the fall.— Lambs may be fattened at 
almost any season, but ordinarily the fattening period extends 
from September until the following May. Fall feeding is exten- 
sively practiced both by the farmer who raises his own lambs, and 
by the sheep feeder who buys his lambs either locally or from the 
western range, and fattens them in seventy to one hundred days. 
Fall feeding is practical on pasture, either permanent or sown, 
when supplemented by feeding grain. 
389. Getting the lambs on full feed. — Much care must be 
exercised in getting a flock of lambs on full feed, particularly if 
they are from the range and not familiar with grain. Further- 
more, many of the plants used in fall pastures for fattening lambs 
are likely to produce bloating, and for this reason much care 
must be exercised in turning the flock to pasture, particularly if 
the grass is composed of alfalfa, clover, or rape plants. These 
are most excellent crops for fattening lambs in the fall, but due 
care must be exercised in turning on the sheep. The grain should 
be fed sparingly at first and gradually increased from day to day 
until the full amount is being fed. Most satisfactory results can 
be obtained by feeding the grain twice daily. Care must be exer- 
cised never to feed more than the lambs will consume ; or if there 
is any grain remaining, it should be removed before a new supply 
is placed in the troughs. 
Lambs thus cared for should make rapid and economical gains. 
Under such feeding, 60-pound lambs should attain a weight of 
85 pounds in 75 days, and be sufficiently fat for the market. Thas, 
lambs put on feed September 1 would be ready for the market 
November 15. When the flocks are sufficiently large and the 
sheep feeder is located conveniently near to market, it ‘will, as a 
rule, pay to make two drafts, selling the fattest at the end of about 
75 days, and the remainder of the flock in 90 to 100 days. This 
keeps the two flocks more even, and avoids holding those already 
fat for the slower maturing ones to fatten, and avoids selling a few 
thin in flesh after the majority have fattened. 
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