The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-07-26
NO. go
HOW TO CARE FOR SHEEP.

For the past twelve or sixteen years
l have been engaged in the care and
raising of sheep and taking one year
with another I have very good success,
and think / can get out of the sheep
business as much money as from any
other farm stock, considering the
amount of labor done | would not,
however, have you think that am
great sheep raiser, for am not, and at
present have only thirty, but as rule
the same care must be given to flock
of thirty as would necessarily be given
to three hundred.
PLACE TO HOUSE THEM.
We see now and then person who
tells US he would like to keep few
sheep but has no place to keep them.
Now as to this one need not tarry long
as place can be made for them with
little expense and be amply comforta-
BILE, any shed made on rough lumber
being sufficient, only requiring good,
sound roof, and door or passageway
from which the least ventilation will
come. Most Of my thirty sheep are
very fine, yet we have few that will
be sorted out the coming season and
replaced with more promising stock.
BREEDS TO RAISE.
The first thing to be considered is
the breed, this being chosen by the in
dividual himself, as one prefers one
kind and some one else another kind.
l prefer the Shrops and Lincolns as
they make very fine cross and yield
good returns both in wool and lambs.
For breeding would never use any
thing but a genuine good sire, full
blood or near 1t, as this is one of the
greatest helps in keeping flock up
and the owner of course does not un-
der any circumstances want to let his
flock run down.
WHAT THEY WILL EAT.
Some think that sheep are dainty
and particular about what they eat.
l can best answer this by saying try
them and see, and if You are not sur
prised I will give up. Coarse fodder
or anything that is raised on farm
can be fed to sheep, except timothy
hay. They cannot or will not do we'll
on it and consequently it is waste
both of the hay and the vitality of the
sheep. l make a practice of granting
the sheep twice daily. Make troughs
of two fence boards nailed together and
scatter the grain q feed oats) along in
it and you will find every kernel of
grain turned into cash when you take
off the wool and sell the lambs.
DO NOT CoNf1NE CLOSELY.
wish to bring before your minds
little instance which may prove of
benefit to someone just going into the
busines,. Don't house your sheep.
had stable thirty by eighteen feet
and about eight feet high which had
formerly been COW stable, comforta-
bly, warm, and the thought struck me
that it would make an excellent place
for sheep shed. With the hay over
head it would be very handy, so out
came the stanchions and in their place
we're erected racks in which to put
hay. The sheep were fed in there all
winter. Before spring three of my
finest died. 1 tried it again next win
ter only to meet the same fate, when
the racks were carried out and the
sheep have been fed outside all the
time only in very rainy weather. Since
doing this have never had any rea-
son complain of the loss OF sheep un-
less an epidemic of some sort befell
them. About the middle of February
l like to have the sheep begin lambing.
This changes things great deal for
the weather is cold and one must look
for the comfort of the flock or all the
profit from lambs will be lost in the
loss of the lambs.
CARE OF LAMBS.
When my lambs begin to come l ar
range as warm place as | can an | take
the lamb and mother in and keep them
there until the lamb is three or four
days old and longer if it does not act
strong and we'll. I then let them out
gradually, little while at time, un-
til the lamb is about four weeks old,
then if it has been healthy it ought to
stand the cold pretty we'll. If the
lambs are twins l get them to take
milk out of bottle with rubber top
on it as soon as l can, and feed them
until they get started pretty we'll. In
this way 1 have had lambs large
enough to take care of themselves and
60 right to feeding with the sheep by
the time grass came.
II. II. EVANS.