Dry Lot or Barn Feeding 57 



the center. The roof came well down, I should say about six feet from 

 the ground, with the north and west sides loosely boarded to keep out 

 the storm. This big shed or barn was divided into small pens, each to 

 hold about forty lambs fitting in pretty snug, but with plenty of room 

 to move about. Hay racks were built around three sides and a trough 

 long enough to accommodate twenty lambs on each side, ran through 

 the center, although a good combination hay and grain rack would likely 

 have been much better. There was also a trough of fresh water at one 

 end. He told me that the lambs were never moved out of these pens 

 until they were shipped to market, and that they made a gain per head 

 of 10 to 16 pounds a month, over a period of ninety to one hundred and 

 twenty days. 



Value of Sheep Fertilizer 



These men had a great deal to say regarding the merits of sheep 

 manure as fertilizer. Being raised in the corn belt proper, their land 

 did not impress me much, and still these farmers had exceptionally 

 good buildings, and they bragged to me about 50 to 60 bushels of corn 

 per acre and proportionately good crops of wheat, rye, oats and excel- 

 lent clover and alfalfa. The successful methods of feeding sheep fol- 

 lowed by these farmers were given as the reasons for the big red barns 

 and prosperous looking farm buildings. It is only in recent years that 

 some of the corn belt farms have begun to feel the strain of everything 

 going off and nothing coming back. Some of these men are finding 

 sheep -the answer to their problem, and more will turn to them as time 

 goes on. 



From Field to Dry Lot 



Among field feeders, only a few get their sheep fat enough, with- 

 out finishing them on dry feed. As long as the green feed lasts it is 

 all right to let the sheep have the run of the field during the day, but 

 just as soon as it is gone, they should be shut up. Sheep will do no 

 good running out after the green feed is gone, and will only walk off 

 flesh as fast as it is put on, looking for what they cannot find. Sheep 

 or lambs running in a field during the winter will eat lots of feed, but 

 they will not get fat. 



Shelter, and How to Feed 



Sheep or lambs being fed do not need much housing, and a good 

 shed to protect them from cold, rains and severe storms is sufficient. 

 They can be fed in an open lot, but they should have some shelter, and 

 hay racks especially should be in the dry. Lot should be high and dry, 

 and separate from cattle and horses that will tramp it up and get it 

 muddy. Sheep should be fed regularly, night and morning, and should 

 always be driven out of the lot before the grain is placed in the troughs. 

 After the grain is equally distributed in all the troughs, the gate can be 

 opened and the sheep let in. After a few times the feeder will notice 

 that every lamb goes directly to his own place at the trough. It only 

 takes a few minutes for each lamb to clean up his share, hence the 



