Managing the Farm Flock 



29 



(f ) Keep a record of the time when the ram is turned in with the 

 ewes and when taken away and allow a hundred and forty-five days 

 from mating to lambing. 



(g) Ram will serve more ewes if separated from the ewes during 

 the day, but wethers should be placed with him, so he will not fret. 



(h) By placing a bib on a common ram, he may be used as a teaser 

 during the day and save the good ram from working through the flock. 



Pregnancy 



During the period of pregnancy, ewes should gain fifteen to twenty- 

 five pounds. Utilize cheap roughage, corn fodder, clover hay, well 



Utilizing Cheap Roughage 



matured corn ensilage, roots, etc. Grain should be gradually added to 

 roughage, a month to six weeks before lambing, and during this time 

 ewes should have plenty of leguminous hay and very little ensilage, 

 none if it is mildewed or sour. 



The following tables may be used as a guide for rationing ewes 

 during pregnancy. Ewes weighing one hundred pounds were used in 

 this test. Grain ration should be" increased or decreased with the 

 weather, and there is always more danger of overfeeding than not 

 feeding enough. 



The following rations have been fed to pregnant ewes by the Illi- 

 nois Station. Where pasture and corn stalks were used, the ewes 

 were not fed hay and grain each day. (The figures represent pounds 

 of feed or of gain per ewe per day. ) 



