THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. 21 
or any other class of sheep. Silage of good quality, however, is very 
desirable. Too large a supply of succulence should not be given ewes 
before lambing, or weak, unhealthy lambs may be the result. 
Oats and bran are as good concentrates as can be secured. Corn 
alone is too fattening. Whether or not the ewes require grain 
throughout the entire winter, and the amount they will need, depends 
largely upon their condition and the kind of roughage and succulence 
fed. In the Willamette Valley, where abundant green forage is avail- 
able throughout the year, practically no grain is fed before lambing. 
But under average conditions succulent forage of this nature is 
unavailable, and a little grain should be fed, beginning several weeks 
before lambing, to stimulate the milk flow. An average ewe’s daily 
ration during pregnancy would be about as follows: Two to three 
pounds of hay, 2 pounds of roots or silage, and one-half pound to 1 
pound of grain. Usually one-half pound of grain is enough before 
lambing if the ewes enter their winter quarters in good condition. 
Turning the ewes out after they have eaten their morning feed for 
water and for a light feed of corn fodder or some similar feed is a good 
plan when the weather is not too severe. This gives them plenty of 
exercise and allows the troughs and racks to be readily cleaned out 
and the evening feed placed in them. Alfalfa, clovers, etc., are the 
most desirable roughage. Succulence in the form of silage or roots 
is essential for the best results, as experiments have shown that ewes 
receiving such feeds produce stronger lambs and have a larger milk 
flow. Thousands of breeding ewes have died in this country of 
“blind staggers” brought on by feeding timothy hay without 
succulence. This particular kind of hay causes constipation and is 
very undesirable for sheep. 
LAMBING. 
This is the busiest time of the shepherd’s year. The forward ewes 
should be picked out and placed in a pen by themselves, where they 
are allowed to lamb. They should be looked after occasionally and 
aided if necessary. Generally it is not necessary to watch later than 
11 o’clock at night, for if a ewe does not lamb before this time she 
usually will not before 4 o’clock the next morning. Many a ewe or 
lamb that would otherwise be lost may be saved by a little extra 
attention on the part of the shepherd. Malpresentation occurs 
occasionally in the best-managed flocks, and sometimes a ewe may 
have a lamb that is too large for her to deliver unaided. The normal 
presentation of the lamb is head first with the lower jaw resting upon . 
the fore legs. 
If the lamb is partially delivered under normal conditions, it can 
usually be helped out by grasping it with one hand by the fore legs 
and pulling at the same time the ewe strains. If the head or either 
