The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-03-24
GROWING EARLY LAMBS.

In q recent letter from Professor
Thomas Shaw, of the Minnesota ex-
pertinent station farm, to the Farm,
Stock ard Home, he says that where
winter lambs are not grown, there is
still an open door for the grower Of
early lambs. Almost any breed OF
sheep properly fed and managed will
drop lambs as carly as February.
Now, suppose the grower can obtain
his lambs in February, or ever early
in March, and if he feeds them well
he can put them on the market in
about sixty days, and can get better
price for them than later lambs will
bring that are kept through the sum-
mer.
To better illustrate this point will
give q bit of experience with such
lambs at our experiment farm. We
hGve some very common grade ewes
that we're purchased for the reason
that they could be used in pasturing
off green crops sown in the summer.
As this was practically an untried field
it was feared there would be some loss
in the animals thus pastured. So it
was thought better to have them OF
the common sorts, since they would
serve for grazing as we'll as the pure
breeds without as great financial haz-
ard, These ewes were mated with
Dorset ram; and let it be noted here
that this ram had nothing to do with
the early breeding of the ewes in this
instance, as they were not possessed
of any Dorset blood. The time of
breeding would have been the same
with any other ram. They dropped
lambs from the last day OF February
until about the Goth day OF March.
As the females were wanted for breed.
ing uses the lambs were not
put upon forced ration, nor were
their dams. The food was such
as was deemed suitable for breeding
ewes nursing lambs that were to be
retained. 1t consisted OF bran and oats,
with little oil.cake added. also hay
OF a someW hat inferior quality, and a
taste OF roots. The ram lambs were
sold May at seven cents per pound,
live weight. Selling them thus early
was an afterthought, or they could
have been put upon the market sooner
and at q better price. They were of
an average age of ffty.seven days when
sold. The average weight was Al l 3
| pounds, and the average price received
| Tor them was 50. SO per lamb. This,
of course, was not large SUN, but the
| point to be made here is that il is more
than the average lamb brings in the
NraR Ia1 4
summer. If the lambs had been
dropped in February and sold about
the closing days of March OF the early
days OF April they would have brought
a much better price, and there is nc
real difficulty in getting lambs thus
early after one has been able to select
for year or two.
But there's no use in trying to rails,
early lambs without first having {
fairly warm place for the ewes wheI
they drop their lambs. II should no
OF necessity be a costly place, for pole
and an abundance of straw will suliic
FOR material. After the lambs are twr
or three days old they will amply TAX,
care of themselves under ordinary con
ditions as are considered suitable 70
old sheep. And there must be plenti
full supplies Of good food on hand
such food includes almost any kind q
early cut aud nicely cured hay, pre-
ferably clover, wheat bran and oatl
with oil cake in the absence of root,
Some corn or barley may also be use
with much advantage. Where roo
can be fed they are great producers {
milk. And when lambs are sold thu
early the ewes may also be sold
much better advantage than when sol