FEEDING SHEEP 379 



must be kept quiet ; all unnecessary excitement avoided, prop- 

 erly nutritious foods and suitable quarters provided. 



FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF SHEEP 



The quantity of food required by sheep depends on many 

 factors, chief of which are the kind of food, and the age, weight, 

 condition and individuality of the animal as well as the chief 

 product sought, whether wool or mutton. 



Since foods vary widely in the energy they contain as well as 

 in their influence upon wool or mutton production, and since 

 young animals, for an equal weight, require more food, and of a 

 different kind than older animals, it is not possible to state exact 

 amounts. The Wolff -Lehman standards, however, will serve as 

 a guide to be modified to suit the foods, animal, and conditions. 

 These standards (p. 380) were arranged to meet the need of 

 the average farm sheep under normal conditions, and as general 

 guides to be varied in practice as circumstances suggest. 



Sudden changes in the food of sheep are to be avoided for the 

 reason that the alimentary system, in many cases, is unable to 

 accommodate itself at once, and digestive disorders follow. 

 Such changes sometimes result in bloating, as when sheep are 

 transferred from a dry to a watery diet, from the dry-lot feed- 

 ing of winter to the early spring pasture where the grass is 

 very succulent. Some pasture grasses are very likely to pro- 

 duce bloating, particularly alfalfa and clover. In regions of 

 considerable rainfall and much dew, alfalfa is serious in this 

 respect. 



Fresh cool water should be available at all times. In winter, 

 when it is exceedingly cold, sheep are not likely to drink very 

 much, but if one is to succeed with them, they must have free 

 access to water. Sheep are peculiar in their habit of drinking as 

 well as eating, and if watered at intervals, do not do so well as 

 when the water is available at all times. 



Salt in limited quantities should be kept before the sheep. 



