THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. 35 
available, little grain need be fed during the winter, though a small 
amount may be desirable. Jf waste roughage is fed, more grain will 
be necessary. During the following spring and summer good pasture 
should be sufficient in itself, at least until flushing is practiced. 
Holding over wethers is not a very common practice in the farming 
sections, nor is it a very profitable one, but there are some sections 
where it is done. Much waste roughage can be consumed by them, 
but they should not be allowed to subsist entirely upon these. It 
never pays to allow a sheep to become poor in condition, especially 
when growing. They can be maintained in good condition upon 
less feed than will be used in fattening them after they have been 
allowed to become thin. Good pasture should be sufficient for wethers 
during the summer season, and they may be partially fattened on 
grass. Wethers should never be fed mangel-wurzels or sugar beets 
for the same reasons previously mentioned for rams. 
Ram lambs not used for breeding purposes should not receive as 
much grain as stock rams, but they should be kept gaining all the time. 
If these rams are to be sold, they should be kept in good condition, 
as well as attractive in appearance, as this adds materially to their 
ease of disposal and to the price obtained for them. 
FEEDING SHEEP. 
REGULARITY AND UNIFORMITY. 
After sheep are fed a few times at a certain time of the day, they 
become accustomed to being fed at that time and will make their 
best gains only when regularity in feeding is practiced. Half an 
hour before feeding time the flock will be quiet, probably lying 
down. Within a few minutes of the time they are to receive their 
feed, they will come up to the gate or feed troughs and wait for the 
feeder.. They soon become impatient if he does not appear, and much 
of the benefit of the feed is lost. Quiet and contentment are con- 
ducive to the largest gains and the best health of the flock. 
Much of the same is true about the amounts of feed. Uniformity 
in this respect should also be practiced. A rapid change in the 
amount and kind of feed frequently results disastrously to sheep. 
CLEANLINESS AND VARIETY. 
Sheep are very particular about the feed they eat. They will 
not touch feed that has been ‘‘nosed over” by other stock, nor do 
they relish feed from filthy troughs. The troughs should be cleaned 
out before each feeding and they should be kept dry. Sheep in their 
primitive state were of a roving disposition, nibbling a little here and 
a little there. In this way they secured a variety of feeds. Under 
domestic conditions they should still receive as s much oy a variety as 
possible. 
