The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-07-30
Live Stock.
z IN THE SOUTH.
vi.

How to Feed in the Sheep Barn-she snep-
herds Harvest is Landing Time-Previous
Feeding and Training-Handle Kindly
The Lambs Characterization and Clip
ping-Care and NeatnesS in the Work
stubborn Mothers-V.g iIant Attention
to Lambs-Watch the Profit and Loss.
correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
AS the warmer days of spring
come, the sheep will not use so much
hay so, for this and other reasons
they, especially ewes, should have
an increased ration of grain food. In
fact, ewes at this eason should have
a pint each of wheat bran with their
grain, cotton seed or cotton seed
meal mixed and wet, for six or eight
weeks, including their yeaning
period. This kind of food will help
along poor mixers and save lambs
that might die or become sickly.
See that every salt box is constantly
supplied with salt, or better the
salt mixture, previously referred to.
An empty salt box is a disappoint-
ment and injury (maybe fataD to
every sheep that goes o lit, especially
when negligentlyI left so a week at a
time.
LANDING TIME
is the great harvest of the shepherd
and as the yeaning period of the
ewes approaches they should be fed
in preparation for it. They must be
kindly handled. Their food has been
referred TO and it should commence
ten days before the first ones Ire to
drop lambs. Feed the ewes with the
view of aiding them in the produc-
ton af milk. The shepherd should
catch, turn down and bench each
we and shear the wool from the
udder and up behind to the tail a
strip three inches wide and in front
of the udder about two inches On the
belly, so the coming lamb may have
ready access to a clean teat and udder
and to prevent the ewes becoming
foul behind. When taken off at this
period, the wool is likely clean and
thus saved, for much of it will fall
off and be lost before shearing time
if the lambs come early.
No other sheep except ewes with
lamb must be in their flock. Be
careful that they do not be fright
ened, nor be damned at the doors
nor gates, nor allowed to hobble over
rails, logs or stumps, nor jump over
bars, ana n had better cut that
calf's or dogs throat than have it
cause the abortion or death of half a
dozen lambs and perhaps their moth
ers. Once or twice every day the
young lambs with their mothers
should be quietly drawn from the
lambing flock, and turned into an
other enclosure and thus build up a
eve and lamb flock.
The enclosure for this flock should
have a side or corner panel through
which lambs alone may pass. 1t is
conveniently made by mailing five
planks, six inches wide, of any length
TO 2x4 inch scantling 4 feet long.
Nail on the bottom one, then leav-
ing an opening one foot wide, nail
on the others successfully to the top.
Take 2x2% inch lath, two feet long
and nail across the one foot opening
six inches apart. When set up in
place securely, this ''creep panel" is
sufficient for any pen or fence either
in yard or pen.
In a trough made of two four-inch
plank nailed together, V-shape, set
up about 8 inches from ground on
legs, place some corn meal or chops
mixed with wheat bran. Keep the
trough dry and clean. Have for
them also a little rack served with
the finest sweetly cured grass, clover
hay, corn blades Or pea vines. Clean
both rack and trough out every day,
giving the stuff to the older sheep
and put in fresh TO the lambs, the
idea being to teach them to eat some
thing.
The intelligent use of select ensil-
age for this purpose, with bran and
meal, soon brings them to eat it like
pigs, with wonderful results.
Every ten days ~castration and
clipping of tails should be performed
on all strong healthy lambs over
three days old. The operator should
prepare for it a very keen edged
knife, a light two-inoh chisel, a small
mallet or hammer and a sawed off
block set on end about a foot high,
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