FEEDING GRAIN 



271 



exposed in severe weather nor housed where they are not well pro- 

 tected from cold draughts, for they will not make rapid growth 

 when they are uncomfortably cold (Fig. 178). 



Aside from food, nothing seems to '' tone ' 



lambs and invigorate 



more than a good sun bath, and in order to permit of every oppor- 

 tunity to have the sunshine, their quarters should be arranged 

 where there is a south exposure (Fig. 179). 



Quarters for lambs should be well bedded with straw. Whoever 



Fig. 178. — A temporary shelter; well bedded and comfortable for lambs past two 

 weeks old. Shropshire ewes and lambs on the farm of J. C. Andrews, West Point, Indiana. 



has observed lambs has learned that they seek a dry place for sleep- 

 ing; in fact, they often bed down in the soft warm wool on their 

 mother's back. 



Feeding Grain. — Lambs intended for market should be fed 

 grain as soon as they will eat it, and they will begin to nibble some 

 when from 10 to 16 days of age. At first there is a little advantage 

 in feeding ground grain, but after the lambs are five or six weeks 

 old whole grain is as good or better than the ground grain. Sheep 

 and lambs with good teeth masticate their feed thoroughly. Ex- 

 periments conducted at the Illinois Experiment Station indicate 

 that western lambs six months old or past will make more gain from 

 whole shelled corn than they will from ground corn. 



A good grain mixture for lambs just beginning to eat is ground 



