The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-07-03
ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT FOR FARM
|SHEEP TO Be HAD AT SMALL COST

sections or where lambs are to ar
rive in the winter months, specially
arranged outlets of foul air and in
lets of fresh air will be necessary.
Level and well-drained clay-sur-
faced floors, are cheap and satisfac-
tory, the only objection to them being
that they do not exclude rats. For
alleys and feed rooms concrete floors
are required.
In the bulletin already mentioned
is a discussion, accompanied by draw
ing, off the plan of a barn intended
for the exclusive use of sheep, design
ed to meet the needs of those per-
manently engaged in sheep raising on
a large scale. The working drawings
and bills of materials for this and for
the other buildings discussed in the
bulletin may be obtained from the
Office of Public Roads and Rural En-
gineering, Department of Agriculture.
Washington, D. G. AS the supply of
the drawings for free distribution is
limited, however, it is expected that
only those. will apply for them who
are seriously contemplating building.
The building referred to has eight
large pens, each capable of holding
20 ewes, allowing IL square feet of
floor space and Is inches of rack
space for each eve, and a. small pen
for the accommodation Of or 5
bucks The partitions between the
pens are formed by movable feed
racks so arranged that the attendant
can walk down the center to sdistri-
butte feed. Storage space for 55 tons
of loose hay or straw is provided in
the now and for LOO bushels of
grain in the storage room on the sec
ond floor This is enough feed, with
the exception of si1age, it is said, to
carry for perod of 5 months all
| the. sheep that can be put in the barn.
The silo should have a capacity OF
| 80 tons.
| The estimated cost of such a. build
| ing with materials and labor obtain
able at prices prevailing in May, 1916,
should be approximately $4,000.
These figures do not include feed
racks, and the bulletin is careful to
state that they should be considered
only as a rough guide, because it is
impossible to state exactly what the
prices of material and labor will be
in any locality. The amount of farm
labor employed is also an important
item in the total expense of construc-
ton.
Another set of drawings shows a
! combination horse, cattle and sheep
barn designed to accommodate 10
horses, cows, and 63 sheep. Still
another design calls for a simple type
Of closed sheep shed, which is espec-
). tally adapted for farms in which the
main barn has large feed capacity but
not sufficient floor space for the live
stock. Allowing IL square feet OF
floor space per animal, this shed viii
hold 26 sheep. This shed affords
!, igood protection for sheep under an.
| conditions and may be used for win.
ter Landing il the width is increased
| from 16 to 20 feet. This will enable
detachable lambing pens to be set VI
} next the wall and still leave room
q for a feeding rack for the other ewes
: The bulletin also discusses in detail
! with illustrations a number of designs
: for. grain troughs, feeding racks
s. fences. hurdles, lamb creeps, and 9th
! er equipment. Growers are cautioned
d that fences that will exclude dog
l should be used, al though a less ex
! pensive fence would suffice for tn
sheep themselves.