St. Landry democrat., 1883-01-13
The Flocks in Winter.

tits serious mistake to neglect feed.
ing grain to sheep because it is dear.
They should have received moderate
feed daily some time before winter came
so that thev might enter the cold
weather in thrift. Very mucL depends
on the healthful wintering of sheep on
this care in the fall. If they are brought
to the. winter in good health and are
strong and hearty there is very little
trouble in wintering them so that they
win be profitable. Begin with mod
crate feed of grain and increase it gradu-
ally for the fattening flock. AS they
get fatter they need more food to keep
them gaining. 1t is not only the
amount fed, but the manner Of feeding
that needs attention. Sheep can be fed
heavily and wastefully and yet not ga n,
but grow poor. 1t is very important
that they are never oyer-fed. A good
shepherd will always keep his sheep
with sharp appetite; not an empty
stomach longing and restless for want
of sufficient food, butfed just enough to
satisfy and induce healthy digestion and
at the same time not to satiate. TO the
inexperienced we would say, never
over-feed, but carefully test the appe-
tite of the flock till he an see just how
much they will bear with profit. It is
not altogether the amount or kind of
feed that tells, but the way of feeding.
it. It is true that sheep prefer certain
kinds Of feed and some are better than
Others for them, but the best can be
made bad and the worse comparatively
<rnod hxy tho cki11ful bond ~
Feed regularly morning, noon and
night. In all classes of domestic ami
mails this point is ne .essary, but to none
more so than to sheep. A sheep will
gain in flesh il it can have somewhat
near the amount it will consume; and,
what is more important to the farmer, a
sheep thus fed is getting into condition
for still heavier feeding
- liza fock. Of sheep is poor it needs
greater care to bring them up. Some
times thin flesh is not sign of lack of
food, but of indigestion. The alterna-
ton Of heavy feeding with scarcity they
will not bear, whether it be regular or
not, But a sheep, or any animal we'll
but care ully led. has better digest on
thtn q poor though hungry one. The
internal organs need proper exercise,
rest, and work as do the muscles. and
are more easily disarranged and united
for their proper functions. Corn is the
staple article Of grain for fattening and
even store sheep, and it is not neces-
sery, nor even best, that it be ground.
Sheep thoroughly remasticate their
food, and this takes the place Of grind
ing Corn is very heating, and. if fed
high, Is better mixed with bran or a lit
tie oatmeal. A light daily food of
roots cannot fail to be beneficial. Oats
are one of the best grains for sheep;
mixed with corn for fattening, or alone,
OF one-thi d corn tor ewes and lambs,
they will be quite satisfactory. a
Clover hay is the best forage the
sheep can have. 1t is usually cheaper
than timothy but it is the most proiita-
BILE hay for sheep. Two hundred pounds
per dav is sufficient for ordinary sheep
fed in equal feeds morning and night,
that is if grain is fed also. This with
feed Of roots atnoon with straw to nib
BILE at through the day, will make the
flock healthy, happy and fat.
The better fed on hay and grain the
more palatable will be the straw, for
sheep like q variety. Well-cured corn
fodder is also greedily eaten, as also is
pea and bean straw, the latter very nu-
tritious. Plenty Of clean water always
accessible is a prime necess ty. 81 eep
do not like cattle or horses drink largely
1T one time and enough to last for
hours. They prefer. to frequently take
= small quantity, and while eating hay
will often 60 to the water provided t I
IS near by, and it should always be un-
Ter cover. Never tolerate the idea
hat eating ti1g snow will supply the place
j water. Try it yourself if you still .
link SO. .s@.gf
Sheep will endure severe cold if they
ire kept dry, but they do not like cold
Winds and wet and cold thew cannot
tand. The water remains in the wool
md in a cold, atmosphere chills them
trough and opens the way for all kinds
# disease. An open winter is not the
most favorable for feeding sheep. II
hey are kept housed they are too warm
nd they lose their appetite and ii ex-
'osed the constant storms make them
uncomfortable. Lambs require more
sehS Aol AsttoHhS UHdu UIeef oHSGp, Uub
hey will also give a better return for
ood consumed and they are always
alable. but it is safe to say, that the
ovice in sheep feeding should not do
is first work with lambs. sflit
Breeding ewes require generous but
ot high feeding. The grain vii; need
Q be a little different than for fatten-
no, more bone and muscle forming
pod and MT SO much carbonaceous or
eat producing food; bran. oats, roots
Moderately and BY all means clover hay !,
i abundance. @ses
Lambs from ewes highly fed on corn
ill be weak and tlabby. and il they do
OF die outright will not be thrifty. but !.
18th the other food they will come
,rong and healthy, able to take care of !
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