CHAPTER XXX 

 THE BREEDING SEASON 



Condition of the Ewes. — To be in proper condition at mating 

 time, ewes should be gaining rather than losing in weight. When 

 they are thriving instead of " standing still " or " going back " in 

 condition, they are more likely to come in heat and the whole flock 

 will breed within three or four weeks. As a result the owner suc- 

 ceeds in having the lambs come at the time desired and, since they 

 are all of about the same age, they develop into a uniform lot with 

 respect to size. It is also reasonable to suppose that the condition 

 of the ewes at the time of mating will have an influence on the 

 number of offspring she will produce, for if she is well supplied with 

 healthy blood and gaining in weight she will likely secrete more 

 reproductive cells (ova) than she would were she in unthrifty con- 

 dition. But should this not be true, it is certainly true that the 

 healthy, thriving ewe at mating time is in proper condition to give 

 the developing foetus a good start toward becoming a lusty, vigorous 

 offspring at birth (Fig. 157). 



How to Condition the Ewes. — As the time for breeding ap- 

 proaches, ewes that have raised lambs are often in thin condition, 

 but since the breeding season usually comes at a time when the days 

 and nights are becoming cooler, all healthy ewes are disposed to take 

 on flesh if sufficient feed is available. Hence, about ten days before 

 the ram is to be turned with them, it is advisable to begin giving 

 them extra feed by turning them into more luxuriant pasture than 

 they have had, or by giving them a light grain ration of about one- 

 half pound per head daily in addition to their usual pasture. 



Pumpkins broken and scattered over the pasture serve as a 

 supplement to it, and when fed in this way furnish a means for 

 " flushing," as this practice of stimulating the ewes with extra feed 

 is called. Fresh growths of rape can also be utilized to advantage. 

 In England, white mustard seed is frequently mixed in the feed for 

 the purpose of inducing the ewes to come in heat, and there are also 

 other stimulants, but natural feeds should be tried before these 

 more or less artificial measures are employed. 

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