OCR Text |
Show FATTEN SHEEP FOR MARKET Where Work Has Been Postponed Until Too Late for Pasturing Special Food Is Needed. All old and such young ewes as the owner does not desire to keep should be culled out to fatten . a short time before the ram is turned in with the breeding ewes. Tha cull sheep can be fattened earlier in the season by turning them into a rape field as pasture, but if you put off too late special food is required. In purebred pure-bred flocks the ewes are often kept until they die of old age, as their lambs are worth more than they are, but in a graded flock it does not pay to keep ewes that do not have sound mouths. An old ewe is likely to prove unsatisfactory. In selecting rams the aim should be to select those that are strong in the points in which the ewes are weak. For instance, ewes that have an open coat and are narrow breasted should be bred to rams that are strong on those points. By this method a very uniform flock can be established in a very few years. It is a good idea to turn the ram with the ewes in the evening after he has been fed and take him out in the morning before being fed. A ram should be well fed. Bran, oats, roots of vegetables, make a good ration with clover as roughage. |