Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-01-15
Sheep Hurdles.


An article on Neglected Forage Orops,p
In last weeks FARMER, recommended the
burdling of sheep on turnip fields. The
following description of English sheep hur-
dies, written by Mr.. Thorp before seeing the
article 10 question may be of interest
In England where roots are raised exten-
sively it is not uncommon for farmer to
have from ten to one hundred acres OF roots
or turnips, according to the size Of his farm
and the capacity of his land to bear roots.
l have often seen Aocks of sheep numbering
five hundred in field Of turnips from the
first of November till the last of April. The
climate is so favorable that the turnips are
eaten on the ground where raised, many
times.
Sometimes they are visited by storms from
the coast, of both snow and wind, which
reach inland, although it is not often they
have much snow. 1t will sometimes be a
foot or foot and a half deep for few days
after the storm, and as the sheep are out on
the turnip field it is necessary to have some
kind of shelter more than the hedges supply,
especially where the flock is large. This
shelter is supplied by hurdles. They are of
two kinds. The first, for common sheep, is
made by setting posts in the ground and
forming square of sufficient size to contain
the number Of sheep which it is desirable to
shelter.
Between each two posts two rails must be
spiked on, one about one and half feet from
the ground and the other one about three
feet from the ground. The walls or out.
sides are constructed by tying and setting up
endwise close together bundles Of winns-a
low thick shrub which grows there, ONE
thing similar to heather-or if not to be Sc
cured some other sort Of small brush is used
These are tied by withcs to the rails forming
very good wind-break or shelter, four feet
and half high. Inside it is supplied with
movable racks and feed trougbs, as it is Of
ten necessary to feed the hocks on dry feed
till after the storms, as the roots may be
covered too deeply under the snow for the
sheep, or to pick up to the surface with Q
tool made for that purpose.
The other kind of hurdles are designed
more particularly for breeding ewes. Thesc
are generally built in some sheltered part o
the enclosure, built and constructed simila
10 the first mentioned, aud besides the addi
tion of the rack and troughs in the insid
there is an extra shelter made by forming
similar fence lengthwise, leaving passag
at either end, Of n few feet space betweeI
the fence built and the outside fence at tn
end, and there building cross fence at righ
angles with the other one, leaving the sam
with passage at each end as before.
In the spriEg time of the year, at tn
lambing season, the ewes are hurdled ever
night The sheperd has a portable hOus
adjoining the hurdle where he lives both da
aud night, as his care and attention is YER
necessary for the success of the flock.
may be asked by some, Why not use board
for the construction of the hurdle? 1t
because the hurdles are for temporary pur
poses, and made for only few months use
aud as boards are very scarce with tho Eu
glish farmer he makes use Of small brus
which answers every purpose.
Sometimes movable hurdles are built Q