POOD 131 



Sheep. 



The early fattening of sheep, like that of cattle, is now 

 practised, the lambs born at the beginning of the year are 

 as soon as possible got on to powdered cake, and crushed 

 oats, with turnips, kohl-rabi, or rape, and later on split 

 peas, the ewes being liberally fed on the same so as to feed 

 the lambs through their mother. Before the grass is fit to 

 receive them the thousand headed kale is a valuable crop ; 

 while on grass they are frequently moved from pasture to 

 pasture. 



With the autumn they come on to turnips, cabbage, hay- 

 chaff, and corn, and this diet may be maintained during the 

 winter. When the time comes round for swedes to replace 

 turnips, great care must be observed, as these have a decided 

 tendency to cause diarrhcsa and throw the animals back. 

 Towards the end cake and corn, from 1 to l^ lbs. daily, are 

 given, the great object being to get the animals fit for sale 

 in the spring, when a little over a year old. 



By forced feeding, lambs at ten months old have been 

 known to show an average daily gain of live weight of three 

 quarters of a pound. 



Lawes and Gilbert found that to produce 100 lbs. increase 

 in live weight, sheep required 250 lbs. oil-cake, 300 lbs. 

 clover chaff, and 4,000 lbs. swedes. The animals stored up 

 for every 100 parts of each proximate principle consumed— 

 nitrogenous matter, 4-2; non-nitrogenous, 9'4; mineral 



matter, 3"1. 



In the general feeding of sheep not intended for fatten- 

 ing (and the subject may conveniently be considered here), 

 attention should be paid to the diet in the winter, which 

 should consist of hay, roots, with oil-cake or grain. To 

 feed exclusively on roots, especially during the cold months 

 of the year, is practically a starvation diet, hay or other 

 dry food must always be given with them. As the lambmg 

 season approaches the ewes should, be generously fed to 

 ensure their milk supply being rich enough ; a mixture of 

 cake, oats, and beans, three quarters of a pound of each, 



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