Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-11-19
Sheep 5nterest.
MANAGEMENT OF BREEDING
EWES
London (Eng9 Agricultural Gazette

London (Eng0 Agricultural Gazette.l
70 begin with, would give it as my
opinion that the most critical time in
intra-uterine life is when the eve
is about half gone in lamb. | think
that at that period ewes are more
liable to go wrong if subjected to abuse,
either of food or otherwise, than at any
other period of their interesting condi-
ton. A eve which has taken the ram
the last week of September is hall gone
about the second week of December; at
that time ewes are on grass, receiving, il
necessary, Il few turnips laid down daily
in the field. | should myself prefer
little bran. oats and cake to roots, but my
objection at this important time is the
crowding of ewes round cake boxes. y
greedy eve will rush from one box to
another, knocking against her ncighbors,
and twisting her own body about in
way not calculated to have good effect
upon her afterwards. ] should therefore
prefer that about week before half-time
the ewes were gradually brought onto
turnips, getting just enough to do them
good, and avoiding all gorging. When
scarcity of grass indicates that the time
for going on turnip land has arrived, l
should advise that the ewes be fed in such
a manner that their health and condition
be maintained and kept regular. The
demand upon the ewes increases as the
hn M
must keep pace with the necessities of the
case. | never used my in-lamb ewes as
cleaners up after fatting sheep, and new
er will. | believe the ewes to be not only
the most valuable item of the farm, but
at this period the most susceptible of in
jury from unsuitable provender. Good
hay or chaf1 is necessary at this time;
that every one knows. As Landing APP
proaches you want carefully to avoid too
high condition, and yet to guard against
poverty. If think my ewes too fleshy,
| rather stint them than otherwise for
about week before Landing. To any
which are undoubtedly too fat give a
dose of opening medicine, maybe three
days before we expect them to lamb; it
reduces the liability to inflammation and
straining. After the eve has quite re-
covered from the effects of lambing, and
if out of danger, believe the better you
feed the better results you will have in
the lamb. One great difficulty | had
with my shepherd at first was to keep
him from overlooking the eve from the
time she had recovered from what |
would call the labor. No sooner had she
satisfied herself with her lamb than he
began to give her all manner of good
things. This is great error. Until six
or seven days are over don't think dan
ger is past. You don't want a bursting
udder for two newt -born lambs, much
less for one; you only cause uneasiness
to the eve, and if you don't hand milk in
such case the eve may go wrong in
that direction. Ewes treated on this sys
TEN will drop the finest of the lambs, big
land strong and healthy, good color, full
of firm flesh. able to stand exposure al
most at once-you will have no little
white cripples and no nursing to do, nor
Warming at the fire that is, comparative
Y speaking, your ewes will get over their
troubles easily, and your skin buyer will
not find his presence required.