Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-01-18
Aqrifnltmral.
Winter Management of Sheep.

The chief object when wintering sheep
Of any kind, is to keep store animals from
growing poor, and those designed for NUT
ton next spring, improving little during
the foddering season. 1t is not to be ex.
pected that the choicest quality of mutton
will be made by the majority of those who
feed sheep in winter, although it can be and
often is done. The most profitable way to
make mutton is to feed grain moderately
during the winter, and finish up" the fat
tening process by allowing the animals to
Craze for ten or fifteen days.
Sheep of all kinds dislike wet apartments,
as much as a cat dislikes wet floor. There
is nothing worse for sheep than exposure
to cold. wet storms, or to the drippings of
cold water through the leaky roofs of their
sheds, or foul, wet and uncomfortable
places to stand or lie down in. Sheep will
endure intense cold with little inconven-
ience, so long as their feeces are kept dry
and they have dry yard When they are
required to stand in the snow all day, and
make it their bed at night, and be covered
with a crust of snow and ice attached to
their wool for several successive days-a'l
of which Is common with multitudes of
good focks all over the country-they can
not thrive, even when we'll fed. 1t will
never do to keep sheep of any kind in such
a manner
When a farmer has no shelters and no
straw for his sheep, it will be far more eco
nomcal to build skeleton frame with
rails, and cover the top with a portion of
their hay, and fill the sides between two
courses Of rails with hay and manure, thai
to allow the sheep to be exposed to div
ing storms.
Another consideration is, suitable feed
ing racks Sheep should always be fed in
good racks, whether they are furnished
with roots, grain unthrashed, hay or straw.
They will always waste more or less feed,
when fed on the ground, even when there is
clean snow beneath their feet. But when
the snow has disappeared, and the fodder
must be scattered in the manure yard or on
the ground, quite one-half of it will be
soiled by their running over it, and they
will endure extreme hunger before they will
cat the soiled feed
An excellent farmer communicated to US
the dimensions of superior sheep rack Of
his own make, we'll adapted to straw, corn
stalks, unthrashed grain, roots of any kind,
or thrashed grain. 1t is portable, quickly
and cheaply made, and sheep can waste no
feed. We herewith give description of it.
1t is what is called a box rack, two and
= half feet wide, two feet nine inches high,
and of indefinite length. At the corners
are pieces of scantling two inches square,
to which the side boards are nailed The
bottom boards should be twelve inches
wide for old sheep For lambs, ten inches
wide If the boards are rough they should
be planed, to prevent the slivers pulling
ont the wool The top board may be five
or six inches wide. Short strips of boards
five or six inches wide, are then nailed
across the opening from the top, to the bot
tom board Every sheep will occupy from
ten to twelve inches space. A trough is
formed of the bottom boards, so that grain,
roots, or hay will lay within reach of the
sheep. \ loose partition made of narrow
pieces Of boards occupies the inside of the
rack, incining at an angle of about forty
five degrees, from the bottom of one side
to the top of the opposite side The sheep
thrust their heads between the outside
Stats, and draw the fodder down between
the Stats of this partition.
When making such racks use hard wood
for the corner posts, and fence nails, as
fence nails are stronger. If fannealcd they
will not break when the racks are moved
from place to place.
The best way to anncal cut nails is to
put them in the fire when there is a bed Of
Goals, and let them remain until the fire
goes out. This will make them tougher
than most wrought nails If the boards be
hard wood, holes must be bored for the
nails, Or it will be difficult to drive them
If the corner posts be Of soft wood, it will
be necessary to employ longer nails for
securing the side-boards to them 1t is
better to make chem in sections u to IA
feet long, so that they will not be SO heavy
to move.
Another important thing for sheep is wa
ter. They need it just as much as neat cat
tie and horses, although they will suffer far
less Inconvenience. when deprived Of it,
than horses or neat cattle. No farmer
should think that his animals are well cared
for when they do not have constant and
convenient access to pure water.
Another thing which is of great import
ance, though usually neglected. is access
to tub of salt at all times All herbi-
vorous animals need it more than carnivor-
ous and it is better to allow them to take
what their feed requires, separately, than
to mingle salt with their feed