Practical sheep husbandry by Burns William A

Author:Burns, William A. [from old catalog]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Sheep, Cookery (Lamb and mutton), cbk
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., W. A. Burns
Published: 1919-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

Kinds to Buy

Kinds to buy depends on the feeds that are available. Thin natives should never be taken out as feeders from a market, for they do not fatten evenly, and if wormy, cause trouble. Native sheep or lambs should be made fat by the man who produces them. If thin, they have to sell to the packers as culls at low prices. In this country lamb meat is favored, but in England and some other countries, mutton is equally favored. Lambs are generally the most economical class to feed. First, because of the premium paid for them over mutton; second, because all the tests show that lambs consume less feed for the amount of gain than do older sheep. Some feeders favor older sheep where roughage is the principal consideration, and if it is to be fed in the field. The claim is made by these men that older sheep will come nearer getting fat running in a field than lambs. The writer gives this argument some consideration, as any young animal is harder to fatten than an older one, if given exercise. Where a large amount of roughage is to be consumed, a bunch of old ewes, too old to go as breeders and that have been suckling lambs all summer, will put on a big gain, and often can be bought at a price so low that they are to be preferred to lambs. Aged wethers, which, however, are seldom over three or four years old, are always good plant scavengers, make good corn buskers and are easy to handle and fatten. Yearling wethers, if of handy weights when fat, say under a hundred pounds, sell as lambs to the butcher, providing their front joints break, which is one way of convincing the butcher that he is buying lamb. (Desirable weights change from time to time.) They are also, as a rule, robust and hardy, but are a little harder to finish than older wethers.

If the farmer has cutover brush land or wild pasture he wishes tamed down, goats should be used, or big, strong wethers, thin in flesh. Ewes with lambs at their sides should never be used for this purpose. Southwestern desert goats make ideal brushers.

It is generally advisable to dip sheep or lambs being taken out as feeders from the market, and if not prepared to do it at home, the purchaser can have it done at the market at a nominal cost.

Starting Sheep on Green Feed

Great care should be exercised in starting sheep or lambs on green feed. In most sections of the range country it gets pretty dry during the summer months and the grass is short, although good. Placing these sheep on rank, green feed, especially after they have had no feed at all for twenty-four to thirty-six hours, is likely to produce disastrous results. Sheep should first be placed in a dry lot and given all the good hay they can eat. Next morning they can be turned out for a couple of hours and then brought back on the dry feed again.

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