The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-04-19
SOME PRINCIPLES in FEEDING
AND BREEDING SHEEP.

SOME PRINCIPLES in FEEDING
AND BREEDING SHEEP.
A Summary of an Address Delivered Be-
fore the Students OF the School of Agri-
culture, of the Ohio State University,
Columbus, by J. Fremont Hickman,
AgrIculturist to the Chic Agricultural
Experimental Station, Wooster, ..
PART H.
In all our sheep breeding absolute
caution and care must be exercised in
selection of the sire, not forgetting
that he is to be the parent of from
thirty to fifty of tine future flock, not
forgetting that an imperfection in his
makeup may materially affect the en-
tire flock in the course Of four or five
years. l have in mind an illustration
of slight deficiency in sire which
almost ruined an entire flock The
dam of the sire in question was poor
mixer, this weakness was transmitted
through the sire and inherited to such
degree by his progeny that the entire
flock became known as small milk pro-
ducers 1t is possible to have a sheep
with too great a predisposition to lay
on fat, in which case we must not over
look the support given to the 'foetus
in utero." one that has many analogies
and afinities to the yield OF milk af-
fordc1 to the young animal after its
birth. good millSer will produce her
offspring fatter, finer and in better
condition than a poor or bad mixer,
while a puny lamb tells us in no un-
certain terms of a mother which has
an overpowcring disposition for
the formation of fat. The successful
breeder and feeder must be capable of
balancing these competitive tendencies
so as to secure an adequate supply of
milk. To do this he will find three
things necessary: first to secure sire
whose dam was a high milk producer;
second, feed the breeding eve milk
producing foods, such as roots and en-
silrge; finally, eliminate some of the
lightest mixers fl ON the breeding
flock.
The feeding of sheep begins with the
mother. My preference as breeder
was to have our ewes at breeding time
in only good thriving condition.: as
soon as bred to begin at once increasing
their food by giving each eve one-half
pound per day of corn, oats and wheat
bran in equal parts by weight; this
amount, increased slightly, SO that it
would reach three-fourths of a pound
per day in six weeks after breeding,
would put ordinarily thrifty ewes in
good condition by lambing time From
this time on no better food can be pro-
vided than either roots (mangel wur-
zels) or ensilage. one to three pounds of
the roots per day, or from two to three
pounds of the ensilage; added to this
| two pounds of good clean clover hay,
and ewes will do well. The lambing
season is the critical period OF the year.
A man may be good feeder and a
| good breeder. but as a carc-taker he IS
now pressed into service. The flock
from this time requires almost constant
watching. Suitable places should be
| provided so that the ewes can be sepa-
rated from the main flock. The expe-
| rienced shepherd can by careful watch
| ing determine as to those that are soon
| to become mothers. When such are
discovered they should be caught and
put into the apartments provided Tor
| them. After the arrival of the lamb. If
! the mother does not have the strength
to properly care for it the attendant
should, with careful hand, rub it with
cloths and assist it in getting on its
feet and nursing for the first time. In
this case he should wet his thumb and
forefinger and start with care the milk
on both sides of the sack. If the par
ent and progeny are then capable OF
standing alone and seemed reconciled to
one another they are not likely to need
further attention of special kind; un-
less it should be discovered that the
mother is not capable of providing suf-
ficient milk for her offspring, in which
case, if it is possible, furnish the lamb
with milk from fresh COW, watering
the milk slightly and adding to it a
little sugar; then it should be warmed
and fed from bottle with an ordinary
gum nipple. Fot the first five weeks.
under nominal conditions. the lamb
will subsist entirely upon the food fur
nished by the mother, but as soon as
the Oldest lamb has relched this age
provision should be mlie by PARTITION
|
lambs can have free and easy access
In this apartment they may be fed
wheat bran, ground oats, ensilage or
any other tender or succulent food
whice may be availa BILE If the lambs
are to be prepared for the market this
provision becomes all the more import
ant, and further, the previous prepara-
ton of some suitable food for forcing
these lambs as rapidly as possible. If
the lambs are :ntenled for wool pro-
ducers or for stock sheep. the breeder
who is careful of his flock will take
this means of outstanding the strength
of the mothers, but will, of course, use
it only as an assistance in that direc-
ton The breeder who uses this ad-
junct to his breeding and feeding pens
will find fewer difficulties to contend
with at weaving time, and will be able
to make the transfer from the dam to
the feeding trough without materially
disturbing the equilibrium of either
parent or off.pring. because the lamb
has learned to depend less and less upon
the mother, and she in turn has provided
less for her young, and, again, the
young stomach has by degrees become
accustomed to digesting ard ass;mulat
ing other foods.
SUMMARY.
Reviewing this paper, we gather the
following more important deductions
That it does not seem practicable tc
produce the highest grade of wool and
L