LESSON TWENTY-FOUR 
FEEDING SHEEP 
1. Wool and mutton.—Sheep use food for both flesh 
and wool. Hence these animals must meet a double 
requirement. Wool contains much nitrogen, and a 
slightly more liberal supply of protein is demanded than 
for either swine or beeves. Sheep, too, are very active 
creatures; the body surface also is proportionately 
greater than of beeves, and hence they require more 
food, proportionately. 
The larger breeds of sheep require about one pound of digesti- 
ble protein to eight pounds of starch equivalent, the smaller breeds 
slightly more. The wool growth becomes less active as the food 
supply is reduced, but if more food is given than the animal has 
use for, the rate of wool growth will not be increased. 
2. Relative economy of sheep, steers and pigs. —Com- 
pared with swine, the sheep does 
not render quite as good an ac- 
count of its food as does the pig; 
in fact, it requires nearly twice as 
much digestible organic matter to 
produce 100 pounds of gain. While 
this is true, it is not to be for- 
gotten that much of the sheep’s 
provender is in the form of hay or 
other roughage, and of a nature 
that the pig could not use. Pigs deniaiie easily digested 
food, which must be largely in the form of grain. From 
the point of profit, therefore, sheep are not at a disad- 
vantage at all. 
Baa, Baa! 
247 
