CARE AND MANAGEMENT OP ANIMALS 853 



Mangels and swedes given to lambs frequently produce 

 a troublesome form of diarrhoea. These young animals 

 should be brought on to roots with great caution, and only 

 when an artificial food like cake is given, with hay and 

 straw chaff added. There is a great prejudice against the 

 use of turnips and roots generally for in-lamb ewes, it being 

 stated they cause abortion. Under any circumstances it is 

 wise to exercise the greatest caution in their use until after 

 lambing. 



Erozea roots are a well-recognised source of danger, and 

 should never be used. Unripe turnips have been blamed 

 for causing mortality among sheep ; it is said that the 

 irritating substance may be removed by ' pulling ' the 

 turnips, and leaving them three or four days before feeding. 

 Sheep with defective teeth require their turnips to be cut, 

 and there are many agriculturists who consider this method 

 should always be adopted, in preference to the more wasteful 

 one of feeding on the ground. 



Where forethought is practised in breeding flocks, it is 

 not unusual to reserve for the ewes some of the older grass 

 for use in winter, so that care should be taken this is not 

 eaten too bare. 



Undecorticated cotton cake has been said to be a good 

 substitute for hay and roots in wintering ewes, from half to 

 one pound a head with oat straw and pea haulm being 

 allowed. 



Production of Early Maturity. — The forcing of sheep and 

 production of early maturity is the outcome of recent 

 experience. As previously mentioned, lambs are now sold 

 as mutton eight months after birth, and weigh 10 stones ; 

 even 12 stones are possible. Practice shows that sheep 

 lend themselves to early maturity more than cattle, and 

 especially certain breeds of sheep such as the improved 

 Hampshire Downs. 



There is only one thing which is capable of producing 

 this condition, and that is good feeding ; it is true breed 

 and soil influence the question, but the main factor is 

 plenty of food, and frequent changes. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



