20 BULLETIN 573, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
more labor in feeding than the one here described, so that it seems 
preferable to keep some of the ewes in larger pens. In all well- 
planned sheds a room is provided in one end for the shepherd. A 
stove is placed in this room, so as to keep the room warm during the 
lambing season. 
Racks and troughs.—There are two common types of hayracks. 
One is a V-shaped rack made of 1 by 4 inch pieces alternating at the 
base or 1 by 2 inch pieces 4 inches apart. By the use of a 10-inch 
board for the base these racks are often made into a combination 
erain and hay rack, as illustrated in figure 7. The base also catches 
much of the chaff and the leaves that break off from the hay. An 
objection to this type of rack is that some of the chaff falling from 
above gets into the sheep’s wool. This objection can be overcome 
largely by the use of 1: by 12 imch boards put together lengthwise over 
the upper part of the rack. Amother objection to the combination rack 
and trough is that the troughs are not usually kept clean. The 
other popular type of rack is a long, rectangular one, 2 feet wide and 
24 feet high. The baseboards are 16 inches high. Above these 
is an 8-inch space through which the sheep insert their heads, and 
above this is a 6-inch board. If desired, a bottom is easily provided. 
This type of rack is used commonly for feeding chopped hay, although 
the self-feeder type is becoming popular. For the best results 
separate grain troughs are provided. The sheltered board-bottom 
trough, swinging on bolts in a frame so it can be turned and cleaned 
easily, is very satisfactory. When it is desired to feed the lambs 
by themselves, creeps can be provided to admit them to the troughs 
while excluding the ewes. There is a wide choice of types of water 
troughs. The chief consideration in this connection is that the 
trough be so arranged that the water can be kept clean. 
DISEASES, PESTS, AND MINOR AILMENTS. 
There is unfortunately a common belief that little can be done 
for a sheep that becomes sick or unthrifty. In many cases, particu- 
larly in pure-bred flocks and in well-managed range bands, the 
fallacy of this belief has been shown. The flockmaster should not 
hesitate to secure the services of a competent veterinarian at the 
first indications of unthriftiness or disease. A brief discussion of 
pests, diseases, and minor ailments which have been found or may 
occur on the Minidoka project is given below. 
Dogs and coyotes.—On farms near the open range the coyote is 
still a menace. On these farms and near the towns the dog also 
does considerable damage. For some reason the Idaho flockmaster 
has been loath to believe that dogs kill sheep, coyotes commonly 
being blamed for the work of dogs. So long as dogs are allowed to 
run at large and while coyotes are as prevalent as at present, some 
