The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1863-02-10
From The New England Farmer.
WINTER FEEDING OF
SHEEP.

SHEEP.
Mn EDIToK 81 have been farm
ing something over twenty years,
keeping sheep, with as little other
stock as would suffice for the necessary
team work, and supply the family with
milk and butter, having usually a lit
tie more than one hundred, so as to
have as near as possible to one hund.
red breeding ews.
Iii often said that sheep will run
farm down, but my experience does
not prove il so. My farm was priced
to me at $1,000, and after keeping
sheep some eighteen years, ] sold it
for $4,000. For a few years past, |
have been in the habit of feeding
good many potatoes 10 my sheep; two
years ago | fed 500 bushels to 100
sheep, almost the whole of them boil
ed one year ago, 400 bushels
One year ago fed ITO bushels, with
one toddering Of oat straw, one of
corn fodder, and one Of unthreshed
oats, and two bushels Of boiled pota-
Toes per day, no hay; the straw be-
ing green enough to be coed, and the
unthreshcd oats cut rather green. /
could not see that they lost flesh any,
managed in this way.
| have usually fed twice o day
to hay, and once to straw, at noon,
but that spoils their appetite for the
straw, and think ii better to feed as
! stated above, until the straw is
nearly gone. 1t is well to save some
Of the straw and keep one rack filled
with it, after commencing on hay, SO
that they can 60 to eat it when they
please.
There is no danger Of their eating
too many potatoes when they are
boiled, they are much more wholesome,
and do them more good. ! know that
many think potatoes are worth but
little for sheep, but think | shall
continue to raise them as long as ]
keep sheep, especially when they can
be raised as easily as Californians can
at present. II requires some caution
in feeding them raw they should
have but little at first, and by degrees
they will come to eat almost any guam
iity without being secured. 1t is a
bad practice to commence feeding the
ewes 10 raw potatoes when they are
having their lambs, as they will be
quite likely to set the lambs into the
scours. have lost some in that way.
/ find the hard work of Juggling SO
many potatoes out Of the cellar may
be avoided by keeping a hoard before
the cellar window, and heaping a lit
tie snow against il in the coolest
weather. The board can be removed,
to set them out, and then replaced,
and the potatoes taken to the kettle,
and from thence to the barn on the
hand-sled or wheelbarrow, with but
little hard work.
| know my practice in keeping
sheep Is different from that of farmers
generally, who keep young cattle to
eat the straw and corn fodder. As
cannot make the sheep eat more than
three-fourths Of the straw, it is a ques-
ton in my mind whether it would not
be better TO keep some young cattle
10 eat up the straw. Perhaps il might
be good question for discussion in
the Farmer, Whether ihree-fourths Of
the straw would not be worth as much,
FED to sheep, at present prices Of wool,
as any other way il could be disposed
Of
Sheep vill Ike good corn fodder
latter they have been confined to Il a
day or two, 10 learn them to eat IT'D
better than straw.
NJ ID. BAxrER.
North Thetiord, VI, Jan 1868.