THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ON THE MINIDOKA PROJECT. 7 
P923RP 
Fig. 6.—A popular type of lambing shed on the Minidoka Reclamation Project, having a large sliding 
door at each end and large open windows on the south side. Feeding racks of the box type are illustrated 
at the left, and the winter yards are shown in the foreground. 
short time. The use of alfalfa and clover as sheep pasture must be 
regarded as dangerous.. Experienced sheepmen make the statement 
‘that unless a flockmaster is willing to risk a loss of 10 per cent he 
should not attempt to pasture his flock on alfalfa during the entire 
season. A few sheepmen cut and cock the third cutting of alfalfa and 
then turn the sheep into the field. So far, no unfavorable results 
have been reported. 
Utilization of waste products.—The sheep is a very efficient animal 
in utilizing certain waste products on the irrigated farm. On all 
these farms there is much waste feed, including weeds and native 
grasses on ditch banks and in fence rows, the waste hay and after- 
math in hay fields, grain and weeds in stubble fields, and the beet 
tops left after the sugar-beet harvest. As the growth of the irri- 
gated pasture crops begins to diminish, these waste materials be@in 
to become available, so that the sheep are gradually moved from the 
pastures to the fields, ditch banks, etc., where, in ordinary seasons, 
they are well fed until December. The sheep oftentimes can be used 
for temporary periods in summer in cleaning up weeds from ditch 
banks (as illustrated in figure 3) and other similar places on and about 
the farm. By these methods, the sheep assist in keeping down unde- 
sirable vegetative growth and in removing waste material, at the 
same time producing valuable mutton and wool. 
Late fall and winter f eeding.—After the first snowfall, which usually 
comes in December, it is necessary to feed the flock. It is a desirable 
practice to allow the sheep the run of the fields during the winter feed- 
ing period so as to avoid the difficulties resulting from the lack of exer- 
cise. Approximately half the flockmasters on the project feed only 
hay during the winter. About one-fourth of the sheep growers pro- 
duce and feed mangels, beets, or beet pulp, and about one-fourth feed 
