Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1905-04-27
Feeding Sheep

Eastern Montana Wool Growers AS
sociation.)
About three weeks ago received a
pretty illustrated invitation, which
Informed me that l was on the pro-
gram of this convention for the pur-
pose of giving little talk on my ex-
perience in feeding sheep l have no
doubt that most of you present could
tell your own experience with sheep
feeding as we'll as I can, if called
upon; however, since the honor fell
upon me to tell you what know
about the great industry, l shall now
endeavOr to do so.
We will suppose that you have driv-
en- your focks from the range to the
nearest railroad shipping point and
loaded them on the cars, and have now
reached some large feeding yard III
Minnesota, Illinois or Wisconsin,
where so many sheep are fattened on
grain in the winter months. l have
brought few plans of racks and feed
troughs that I have roughly construct
ed for the purpose of illustrating or
explaining better the things wish to
say here today.
Western sheep or lambs direct from
the grazing grounds have never eaten
a bite of any kind of grain, and they
don't know the taste OF it, no more
than you or l know what bite OF the
moon would taste like.
The sheep that are fed on the "full
feed" plan are put in large sheds
which contain long feed troughs full
of grain, and racks full Of hay. The
trough is so constructed that the grain
runs down where it can be reached by
the sheep night and day. Some OF
this feeding is done in open pens, but
generally the weather will not permit
this outdoor feeding.
Although fresh off the cars and hun
gry as wolves from the long journey
they will turn from the grain, because
they do not know what it is, and dig
the. hay to satisfy their hunger. After
filling up on the hay they go nosing
around the pen to see what there is to
find, and they nibble on the grain now
and then, and about the time they re.
alize what it is they are on full feed
eating all they can. 1t takes from
three days to week to get sheep or
lambs on full feed. A light feed is
given for the first two weeks or a
month, and then increased in quality
as the feeding period reaches an end.
lambs require a lighter feed than old
sheep.
Sheep off the range in ordinary con-
dition should be on full feed from six
ty to ninety days to make them prime.
They can be made fairly good in less
time, but if they are thin when put
on feed it will take longer The feed
nsed at most of the large feeding yards
is upland prairie hay, wheat screen
ings and ground corn.
We find it pays to grind the corn,
and sheep make better gains on that
than on whole corn.
The best grain ration we have found
to finish sheep on is One-third corr
meal and two-thirds good screenings
by weight.
Sheep eat on an average four to five
pounds of grain per head each day, to-
.yether with half pound of hay
lambs about pound of grain less than
this, together with about one third OF
IL pound of hay.
When starting on feed they eat a
great deal of hay, but as they grow
fat, and the feeding period reaches al
end they eat less hay. and when q
sheep or lamb is prime fat they eat
very little hay while they have access
to self feeder of grain.
Salt is before them at all times, anC
there is a great, large trough Of fresl
water in the center of the shed. where
they can drink nice, clean water all
day. The trough has a patent regula
tor by means of which it is kept full
of water all the time. The regulator
is simple affair, and can be put OF
any water trough which is fed from ;
supply tank. The trough is cleaned
out every morning AMI kept as cleal
II -. 10,
the longer the sheep are on feed a
ahey get very particular. | have seel
them get so nice that they would &,
thirsty before they would drink out Q
an untidy trough.
feeder. A lazy man is never a success
at anything.
The kind of salt we use is the ordi
nary Michigan white, number tw,
granulated. 1t comes in barrels of %
pounds each. We have tried othe
kinds, but we find this is the mos
econ )mical and handy.
Before 1 go further into this subjec
l want to call your attention TO a sim
pie, but an important fact about wat
erny western sheep. Sheep that ar
bred and raised on the opel range i
ninety-nine cases out of a hundre
never drink out of water trough, eX
cept those natural ones shaped by Ma
lures han U.s. The shed they are fe
in is not as light as out of doors, an
the trough is protected by board ov
erhead to keep some eager, thirst
sheep from standing in it. and maxim
the water dirty. The water may his
and trinkle down in an inviting sol
of way, but yet Mr.. Sheep from tn
range is not on to the new angle