The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-02-04
Sheds for Winter.

Lie WluUcT, WuOI6 IL hts uOl DS6u wet,
has thus far been favorable to those
f1ockmen who for any cause have not
provided sufficient shelterf for their sheep.
But the winter is not over yet. 1t has
not begun. We shall hive winter
enough, even if it should be what we call
mild one, and the most sensible thing
that the owner of unsheltered sheep can
do even at this late day is to build sheds
at once. The elaborate plans which
often appear in books and agricultural
journals with reference to the construc-
ton of sheep sheds and barns, are
great deal better on paper than they are
anywhere else. A good shelter can be
inexpensively made, and any man of
fair judgment can plan and erecta cheap
shed if he has anything at all out of
which to construct it. It is well under
stood that while sheep can bear great
deal of cold, they cannot stand the wet,
any more than q man who should be
compelled to wear wet overcoat until
it dried upon his back could stand it.
The wool becomes wet, and it is resona-
BILE that the animal should suffer. But
independent of such consideration alto
gether, economy and effectiveness in
feeding would suggest shelter. When
sheep have no shelter they huddle to-
gether in case of storms, and by constant
tramping manage to keep the snow
down, and to maintain the warmth of
the body, but they do very little eating.
If the hay is thrown into the open field be-
fore them, much of it is liable to be
blown away; and even when it is placed
in racks they do not eat as much of it as
they require, for if they separate for that
purpose, their wool being wet,
they soon become chilled, and
hurry back again to their budding.
Necessarily this cannot go on long.
There must be food eaten, or the animal
heat cannot be kept up even by budding,
and two or three days of such expert
ence is sufficient to practically finish the
weaker ones of the flock, while the year
ings and oldish ones will have suffered
injury which will require very careful
treatment to repair, and the strongest of
the flock cannot entirely escape serious
loss in condition.
1t is better to have sheds that can be
closed when occasion requires, as open
sheds must necessarily have much snow
drifted into them at times. But open
sheds will answer, and can be construct
ed at very little expense. They need
not be framed or silled. Simply set
posts in the ground, board three sides,
if boards are at hand, and make the
roofs of boards, battened with slabs, if
you have them; if these things are not at
hand, cover with straw or hay, and even
the sides can be made of these. But as
the Rural recently stated, nothing is so
injurious as to shut up flock of sheep
in close unventilated barn. The air
becomes vitiated, not only from the ex-
halations, but from the gases issuing
from the manure, and impaired health
must result.
The very simplest and cheapest kind
of shed is made by setting in the
ground crotched posts, in the crotches
of which pole is laid, and then rails ex-
tending from the ground to the pole in
the crotches, laid, making roof. If
straw or pine bows are placed on the
rails, it will become nearly water tight.
If lumber is plenty boards or slabs may
be used for the roof. Sometimes hay
stacks standing close together serve to
make such shelter still better. The
horizontal pole is made to rest in the
stacks, which form sides to the shed. If
we will keep in mind that little in
genuity will enable us to construct sheds
without much. cost, we will have them.
Western Rural.