Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-01-19
Wintering Sheep.

kind arc in bad condition at the commence.
mcnt of very cold weather, large quantity
Of food will be required before any improve
ment will take place in them. Some farmers
will put of feeding sheep in the fall and act
as though they thought it good economy to
keep them in the pastures as long as possible,
only sustaining existence by what they may
gather among briars and brush, and tearing
much of the wool off their backs in their
struggles to obtain food When severe cold
weather comes and they are obliged to yard
their sheep, they will roll out big feed Of
corn, without having accustomed the flock to
it gradually, and the consequence is the
laundering Of many, If not all Of the lot,
which is ascribed to the corn as an article Of
food. In agriculture it is usually necessary
to so shape ones action, that several results
may be worked out by one and the same pro-
cess. As an instance, in wnterng sheep, the
object in view is the making of the most man
ure, in the most manageable condition for
handling, in the process Of lis being made
ready for application to the soil, Independent
Of the profits desired from the animals them
selves. In the opinion of the writer sheep
are much better than cattle for the purpose
Of working up straw in the yards during win
ter. Cattle leave the straw so much longer
and tramp il down 80 much closer, that il
costs considerably more TO manufacture a crop
of straw into manure by the aid of cattle, than
when sheep are employed to chop the straw,
as they do, into much shorter lengths and in
o more uniform manner. Cattle, in walking
over the straw, tread upon it so heavily, that
it becomes tainted by moisture or ioot-dirt,
thereby rendering it unpalatable to them
while sheep, owing to their more clearly
habits and being Of lighter weight may pass
over it several times and the straw remain
uutainted
In fact, they are continually moving around
and picking it to pieces, eating their pickings
with a relish which cattle do not exhibit.
Every flock master should have several sheds in
which to array sheep according to age or size
It Is not good plan to have tags or yearlings
with old sheep, as in the crush and scramble
for food, the weakest must 20 to the wall
la some instances yearlings may be as large
or larger than old sheep, and on this account
it is better to place them according to size.
than to be entirely guided by the age Of the
animals. The sheep sheds should open into
roomy yards, paddocks or fields, and the sheep
should have the choice of going out or remain
ing in just as they are disposed. Very close
confinement is not good for them. The houses
or sheds should be kept perfectly clean and
we'll ventilated. From large yards the fol-
lowing advantages arc derived which prac-
teal writer thus sums up. The sheep is nat
uarally an active animal, walking long dis.
tances and breathing very actively az
consequence Of active locomotion. To shut
up animals addicted to such habits by nature,
in small yard aud keep them in the same
quarters all winter aud expect them to main
tain their health and yigor seems most incon-
sistent to say the least for they must have
air, and the only way they can breathe enough
air to keep them in good health is by having,
at least opportunity for moderate daily cxer-
else. For, as exercise quickens the rate of
breathing, the consumption Of sufficient air in
the breathing process depends upon sulll-
cheney Of exercise to induce il. Providing
large yards and spreading the straw over
them so that the sheep are continually moving
from one point to another, while working it |
over, admits of their getting enough exercise
incidentally to keep their blood in good order
and maintain them in continual vigor, which !
is particularly essential to breeding ewes.
Again, the sheep always like to 90 from one
yard to the other, showing clearly that the
practice agrees with their instructive wants,
and those who disregard the instructive wants
Of their sheep in this matter Of exercise, may
seem to have healthy sheep but by and by, |
from a forced retention of impurities in the |
blood resulting from forced inactivity, disease
will appear in one form or another, and there /
is not doubt in my mind that the death Of
thousands Of lambs for several years with goi-
tire resulted chiefly from the sheep being de-
priycd of sufficient facilities for exercise and
that healthy fullness of breathing, health re-
quires. When the partly mastcated and cut
up straw or litter is spread over large sur
face the labor Of pling the crude material in
heaps for rotting is much less while the ma
nure can all be saved without fire fanging.
and the sheep have access to every head Of
the straw and other manurial material, such
as horse manure to hasten fermentation or re-
fuse material Of any sort to give a more COM
prehensiye composition to the manure. can be
mixed in, either during the process of piling.
or by scattering over the other before that
work commences A further and important
point of advantage in drawing out and spread
ing the straw is that it prevents deterioration
OF the wool and the value of the fleece. When
sheep are made to do their own straw spread
ing by pulling it from the hardy settled stack,
they necessarily feed with their heads and
necks under the edges of the oyer-hanginp
stack sides most Of the time and the chaif
from the over-hanging straw falls into the dip
OF the neck behind the ears, filling the wool
on the top of the neck with chaff and dust.
This condition, as is well understood by prac-
teal sheep washers, increases the labor Of
washing very materially Aud even the best
washing fails to clean this part of the fleece.
The ehaif and grit on the upper part of the
neck also increases the labor and expense Of
shearing in degree at once considerable and
vexatious; while the appearance, quality and
value Of the fleece are of course correspond.
lngly reduced by this unnecessary ntermx.
ture OF dust, grit and ehaf with the wool.
But when the straw is spread the dust aud
grit fall below the reach of the sheep.
1t Is fallacous to suppose that making the
sheep spread their own straw even saves la
Dor. For there is as much less labor required
IN pling the manure from straw drawn out
and evenly distributed over a large ward, as
all the labor required in drawing out. And
1t will be remembered that time is of more
value when the labor of piling is saved in the
Spring than back in the season, when soil
cannot be worked Stock Journal.
ID