Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-03-08
Rapid Development of Lambs.


A change of pasture in the fall is
good, SO they will come into the sheds
in fair condition. Have plenty of
room in the shed. A room 2Ox2O feet
makes nice one for IL or Is ewes.
Have the doors open toward the south
so the sun can shine in. Keep them
closed at night and in rainy weather.
Give them plenty of nice, fresh water
every day, with good clean timothy
and clover hay, or roweD, and as the
lambing time approaches along in
January and February, feed them a
fair amount of grain, shelled corn,
ETC., unground. Always keep their
salt boxes filled with salt and sulphur
-four enough to color it. 1t is first
rate thing to have new-milch COW
just at this time, and bottle with
rubber nipple handy, SO if lamb
needs a little milk it can be easily
given. There are always some that
need nursing. The shepherd can tell
by his notebook which ewes are due
first, so they can be separated from
the rest until the lamb is strong
enough to follow the mother and she
will own it. A little pen in one cor
ner, where the eve can see the others
and they cannot get to her, is all
right. AS soon as the ewes begin to
lamb, feed them more producing
feeds. Oats, buckwheat, wheat bran,
all they will eat up clean, and plenty
Give the hay feed at the same hour
each morning about daylight, then at
nine or ten o'clock give some corn and
oats mixed, or buckwheat or apples,
turnips, etc. at noon, more hay if
they have cleaned the racks; at three,
some grain or bran, then at dark more
hay. Give all they need regularly,
but don't overfeed. They will need
exercise and turning into the yards if
the weather is fair.
After the lambs are all dropped and
are strong, they will want shallow
trough to eat it by themselves. Fix
creep-hole in the fence or rack, and
after the older ones have been enticed
through time or two the others will
soon learn the way. They will need
little ground stun, corn and oats, or
rye, wheat bran, middlings or linseed
meal, etc. Be careful to give just
what they can digest easily, and not
overfeed. But if they are healthy
they will consume good deal and get
into the manger and pick off the clover
heads, timothy, ETC., and eat with
their mothers, and thus gain pretty
rapidly. They must be in the sun all
they possibly can, and as the warm
weather approaches, turned into green
pastures, or rye, so they will be ready
for market when four or five months
old. Begin to sell as soon as they
will weigh 90 pounds apiece. The
main point is to get them started
quickly. They will need personal
and careful attention, SO watch the
ewes as they drop the lambs, help
them if necessary, get the lamb to
stand up and nurse, see that the eve
has plenty of milk, and start it for the
lamb. Generally the lamb is all
right as soon as it is dry and warmed
up and has it's stomach full, but some-
times there are twins or triplets.
Then the milk bottle comes into play
and some have to be raised on the
bottle The bowels will require watch
ing; see that they are in the right con-
dition, neither bound up nor too loose.
A little castor oil for the one, or
lambs cordial for the other, will cor
rect them. Charles M. Beresford, in
American Agriculturist.