The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-12-27
AGRICULTURAL.
Winter Care of Sheep.

The fact that wool is grown on the
backs of sheep suggests warmth, and
the man who gives DO special consid-
Grafton to the matter ia likely to fall in
to the error that sheep will by this
means keep warm anywhere and under
any kind of temperature. There is
probably more damage done by keep
ing the focks OF the country too warm
rather than too cold, but the sheep is
an exceedingly sensitive animal and
suffers intensely from any unreasonable
degree of temperature. The Live
Stock Indicator says if the body of the
sheep is kept dry the healthy adult and
half grown sheep can keep warm in al
most any ordinary winter weather, but
it is also true that dryness does not al
ways accompany cold weather, hence 1t
is sometimes difficult to keep focks in
good condition without shelter. Shell
ter of some kind should be provided
and the better it ia the better it will be
tor the sheep. We do not mean that
it need cost a great deal of money or
that it must consist of basement barn,
or anything of the kind. 1t may be
made of poles and straw and answeI
every purpose. Better have dry straw
shed than a damp basement. Better
have an open shed than a shelter of
barbed wire fence. Shelter, therefore,
is one of the considerations in winter
in care of sheep.
AlGl q CU sideration in care of the
sheep in winter time is feed. Not that
they should be fed without stint, but
they should be fed with judgment and
due consideration of the wants and con-
ditions of the flock. Too many flock
masters feel that they are doing a good
service to their focks when they feed
them an abundance of food, and they
become too fat. Others will 60 to the
opposite extreme and underfeed Still
another class will feed moderately, but
will use the wrong kind of feed and
will come no nearer doing the right
thing than the other two mentioned.
II lis knowing what and when to feed
that is necessary to obtain the best re-
suits. The breeding flock will need
one kind of feed, the lambs another
other. Often the whole flock is kept
together and an average of these sew
eral kinds Of feed is fed and then the
result is only an average degree of
success. Ia winter, when sheep are
on dry feed, they are liable to become
costive, and such feeds should be fed
as will counteract it as far as possible.
Make study of the feeds at your COM
mand and do the best you can under
your conditions.
Exercise is another thing sadly want
ing with many tlOcks in winter time.
Many hocks are housed in the fall
when the weather begins to be bad,
and they are kept in this condition I'M
til grass starts in the spring. A run
on open fields will be a great help in
wintering, and every opportunity TO
give it should be embraced. We have
not had the best results from running
in stalk fields, for the reason that other
stock are permitted TO run there and
occasionally fine sheep is lost by be-
ing run down down by colts. We have
also had them get cast in the stalk field
and die before they were found. The
best place to exercise is the pasture or
meadow, when the weather will per-
NIT. Wood pastures are ideal places
for sheep in winter, during fine days,
and they will get great deal of good
by having access to that even if they
find but very little to eat or browse.
Keep the sheep dry, feed the right
kind of feed and in the proper amount
let them have exercise, and you will be
on the right track,-Mirror and Farmer.