Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-01-04
Experience Paper-NO. rs.

hold It to be cardinal principle that
il is far less important what kind of a rack
Is set before the sheep than it is what
kind of feed is put INFO it. If something
very good is thrown into the rack, the
sheep is not gong to fool away his time
gldding about from one rack to the 9th r,
lrizz ing his hay about the stable, and
thereby wasting feed. He will thrust In
his head and stay there and eat contented.
md no loss will enSue | once had
number OF ordinary hay racks or boxes,
installed. in which | was feeding certain
flock ON fodder. | ordered n man TO Stat
them. which he did, and after Il few day.
nc surprised me ny insisting that the
sheep were wasting more fodder from the
lated boxes than tnev did from the un
slated ones. An investigation into this
phenomenon showed the true cause to b
nat there had been Il falling of in the
quality of the fod.ler about the time the
change was ILade in the boxes. l have
noticed this fact especially with lambs.
Let the hay given them be green and
bright rs English breakfast tea and they
will thrust in their heads and sand quiet
~ Tor an hour, eating heartily until the
mess is all gone, wasting none by running
bout, or at most hardly enough to keep
hem hedded. On the other hand, let the
u ,xes be ever so we'll slated or male after
he most improved pattern, if dry, woody
tibered hay is put into them they will Con
SANITY run from one box to another,
chewing off the heads AS they run, drop
ping the rest as waste; and the boxes will
ill up day after day with orts until there
only room left to spread mere film OF
nay along the top.
In the spring there will be Il pile of
lead lambs in The corner, and Il new one
viii be thrown on the pile every few days.
Hence | give the following directions for
m ,king good bux for sheep: Cut your
nay IN the blossom. IF you want to make
good hay box for sheep take four boards
mi tour posts and knock them together.
Let the hux be just wiue enough SO that The
,heep-and regard must be had to The age
nd size VI the animals in each fiock-can
conveniently eat all the hay and chatf half
lay across. Let the lower board be low
enough not to press tho outlet too much ,
I'D near enough to the ground to keep thu
,heep from pulling out hay under it. l.
well enough to cut the tops of the posts
>ianung, and nail the top boards on III,
liant, pitching inward from the top down
FIJI, makes them conform to the slope OF
lie animal neck as it reaches ia, and
overs it better, keeping chat from get
ny INTO the wool. Smooth the edges OF
ne boards to keep them from fretling tn
| WOOL. Ii the hay is coarse, the boxes viii
10 well enough without Stats; for hne hay
ney had better be slated.
The oftener sheep can have their hay or
fodder the better; little and often, and Il
lean sweep of the boxes every time, is
he best rule. But it is never worth while
10 hurry sheep in the morning in winter
10 feed them. The sheep is an animal thai
delights IN Its morning nap at this season
Of the year. However early my man gets
| his fodder scattered in the morning
never allow him to let the sheep out to
until sunrise; then they will all be ready
and all will get an equal chance. The
heep would rather eat late into the night
han early in The morning.
| 1t is not good practice to give sheep
grain early in the morning, unless they
,leep out doors and have all opportunity
10 get up and stir around briskly awhile
before feeding. In flock of sheep there
will always be some that resemble certain
2ersons-destitule OF appetite in the morn
lay. If the grain ration is given out thel
tnev will not come ut all, or So liStlessl y
nat they will not get a fair proportion
and they will lose condition. | nave found
hat in IL flick of one hundred and fit,
tnbs, ten or twelve would scarcely touct
rain in the morning, but at night nj
me would stand ck.-Stephen PoWers
IN Ohio Farmer